· Asda Q2 like-for-like sales increase 3.8% year-on-year excluding fuel
· Online sales double in Q2 with Asda the fastest-growing market share of any online grocery retailer in June, according to Kantar Worldpanel
· Asda sets sights on further expanding online capacity up to one million slots per week in 2021

1. Asda Online Shopping Slots Online
2. Asda Online Shopping Home Delivery
3. Asda Uk Online
4. Asda Online Shopping Account
5. Tesco Online
6. Asda George Online Shopping
7. Asda Online Grocery Shopping Delivery Slots

Ive been lucky enough to manage to book a recurring slot with Asda. I've looked at the FAQ and the cancellation rules are a bit confusing. Can you cancel it as often as you want within the 6 month period or is it restricted. Here's a list of when you should book your online slot for Christmas at all the major supermarkets. Asda have already released their Christmas delivery slots - so you'll need to act quickly. The supermarket giant has launched the dates earlier than usual as last year they went live on November 19.

Asda and Walmart have today published their second quarter earnings covering the period from 1st April to 30th June 2020.

The trading quarter, which began the week after lockdown was imposed across the UK on 23rd March, saw Asda’s like-for-like sales excluding fuel, increase by 3.8% year-on-year.

The supermarket also delivered record online sales in the quarter – seeing its online grocery sales double and click and collect sales quadruple during Q2, with transactional data showing that many of these new customers were new to Asda.

To meet the growing demand, Asda has increased its online capacity by 65% since March to 700,000 weekly slots and provided 1.4 million free of charge slots for clinically vulnerable customers.

Recognising the increased and sustained appetite for online grocery shopping, Asda plans to increase its online capacity to 740,000 slots per week by the end of the year – and has set its sights on increasing capacity further still with to up to one million slots made available in 2021.

The supermarket is also expanding its delivery partnership trial with Uber Eats to 25 more stores over the next eight weeks and has reinstated its same day and express click and collect service at more than 300 stores. This service was paused at the height of the pandemic to reduce pressure on stores.

Commenting on Asda’s performance in the global quarterly earnings call, Doug McMillon, CEO and President of Walmart said;

“Excluding fuel, Asda’s performance demonstrated the resilience of the business with growth in a challenging period.”

Brett Biggs, Walmart’s Chief Financial Officer added;

“Excluding fuel, Asda comps were also solid with online grocery growing faster than the market. In the U.K., decreases in travel pressured Asda’s fuel sales.”

Asda CEO and President, Roger Burnley, said:

“The pandemic has created a structural shift in customer behaviours towards grocery shopping. We have accelerated our online capacity expansion to meet levels we had anticipated reaching in eight years within a matter of weeks and we will continue to expand this offer. We will also maintain focus on ensuring our in-store experience delivers what customers want from a shopping trip – great value, relevant range and ease.”

Protecting health and family were the key focus for customers during the quarter. Whilst the demand for clothing declined, parents continued to prioritise their children and there was an increased demand for children’s clothing, especially pyjamas, jogging bottoms, multi-pack shorts and t-shirts, as kids spent more time at home with their parents.

Towards the end of the quarter, as lockdown measures were adjusted, and customers felt reassured by the extensive safety measures introduced in stores, price and value returned to the fore and customers travelled further to save money on their weekly groceries.

And although fuel sales decreased significantly as lockdown was imposed – the gradual easing and return to work for many in August has seen motorists return to the pumps and fuel volumes return to around 90% of pre-Covid levels – however customer spend at the pump remains down year on year.

The combination of restrictions on foreign travel and tighter budgets has also seen many customers opt for ‘staycations’ this summer, with sales of camping equipment up 25% year-on-year.

Looking ahead to the second half of the year, finances remain a key concern for consumers as the economic consequences of the pandemic become more apparent.

In a recent survey, almost half of Asda customers said they expect their household incomes to decline during the next 12 months, whilst the latest Asda Income Tracker showed that family spending power decreased by 2.2% in the year to June to £211 per week – the steepest fall in seven years.

But as well as increasing concerns around their finances, customers are also recognising positive changes resulting from the pandemic.

Almost 40% of Asda customers said they have cooked or baked from scratch since the lockdown was introduced and 16% said they will continue to do so as restrictions ease. The cost savings and health benefits of spending more time cooking at home has resulted in a quarter of Asda customers saying they will improve their diets and eat healthily post-Covid.

Customers continue to see themselves spending more time at home due to the pandemic, and spending on small, affordable luxuries for the home and indulgent treats is predicted to continue. Geroge Home sales are growing 13% ahead of the market, while Asda’s premium Extra Special range has outperformed the market with a sales uplift of 19.4% year-on-year.

Roger Burnley said:“As life under Covid 19 continues, customer concerns are shifting from the health consequences of the pandemic to its financial impacts – and we remain absolutely committed to protecting both their health, and their budgets.

“Our Asda heritage is anchored in providing the best value on a basket of shopping – be that online or in store – and with the convenience of meeting a range of customer needs under one roof and we remain absolutely focused on delivering this strategy.”

When lockdown was implemented Asda immediately responded by introducing extensive measures to protect colleagues, customers and help feed the nation.

These included installing Perspex screens and one-way directional systems and limiting the number of customers in stores. Asda also recruited 23,000 new temporary colleagues into stores to ensure it could continue serving customers during the height of the pandemic.

In addition, whilst Asda did not access the Government’s furlough scheme, it did move to protect its colleagues by offering more than 10,000 extremely clinically vulnerable and vulnerable colleagues the opportunity to shield at home on full pay for 12-weeks.

The supermarket also opened up ‘Priority’ delivery slots for 190,000 clinically vulnerable people, made 3500 slots available for small care homes and provided 250000 medical grade masks to care workers, as well as a £5m donation to FareShare and the Trussell Trust to support their work.

Roger Burnley concluded:“During this period, our store and depot colleagues worked tirelessly to support customers and keep them safe and I was proud to offer them a well-deserved bonus in June to thank them for their efforts. We responded swiftly and extensively to do the right things to protect our customers, colleagues and communities – keeping our prices low, investing in our colleagues and communities and ensuring our stores and online offer adapted to meet customer needs and concerns.”

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The government has now released its list of clinically vulnerable people who qualify for support during the coronavirus crisis. Supermarket bosses will have received this list and will be in the process of contacting their vulnerable customers to offer them priority booking for online shopping services. If you're a vulnerable person or live with someone who is, you may be looking for advice on what to do next regards grocery shopping. We've rounded up information from five major supermarkets to help…

Sainsbury's

The latest information on Sainsbury's blog says: 'We are giving our customers who are vulnerable priority access to our online home delivery service. So far we’ve been able to identify and prioritise hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people across the UK.

'The government have identified and shared with us the customers who they consider the most vulnerable, and we’re in the process of contacting these customers to offer them priority access to home delivery slots. We are waiting for the databases for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and will contact vulnerable customers in those areas as soon as we are able.'

Sainsbury's has a number to call if you haven't received a vulnerable person letter

How do I book a Sainsbury's home delivery slot for a vulnerable person?

You need to follow instructions from the text message or letter you received to register as vulnerable on the government's website. If you didn't get contacted, you can register at gov.uk, and then contact your GP to request a letter. If you haven't been contacted by Sainsbury's already, then you should be soon.

There is a Sainsbury's phone number to call for the Careline should you need it. Understandably, Sainsbury's is currently experiencing high levels of demand for the service, but the number to call is 0800 328 1700 and is available Monday to Sunday 8am-11pm.

Tesco

Tesco's CEO Dave Lewis said: 'On Thursday, we were given an initial list of 110,000 clinically and socially isolated people by the Government. From these, we were able to match 75,000 existing customers and we’ve already contacted them to let them know we’re making home delivery slots immediately available to them. As we receive more data from Government, we’ll make even more slots available.'

Tesco has contacted its vulnerable customers

How do I book a Tesco delivery slot for a vulnerable person?

To book a slot, you need to go to tesco.com/groceries and log in. Vulnerable customers can book a priority slot with an eight-hour window for delivery.

If you don't currently have an account with Tesco but have received a letter from the NHS because you're classified as clinically vulnerable, you can create an account on their website or call Tesco on 0800 917 7359. The store can then check if you are on the government's list.

Ocado

A representative for Ocado told HELLO!: 'We have received the government’s vulnerable shield list and have cross-referenced it with our customer database to help support those in need. We have already identified our customers on the vulnerable list and reached out to offer them delivery slots with ocado.com. We will continue to do our part as the government updates its shield list.'

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You can reach Ocado on the 'Contact Us' section of their website

How do I book an Ocado delivery slot for a vulnerable person?

Follow the instructions you have received from Ocado's correspondence with you. If you haven't heard from the online supermarket, visit gov.uk to register onto the government’s list. Ocado also suggests getting in touch with them using their 'Contact Us' online form.

Asda Online Shopping Home Delivery

Asda

The Asda website says: 'We have been working closely with the DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) and some of our fellow supermarkets for the last couple of weeks to understand how to ensure essentials reach those with no support network.

'The data we’ve received from the UK Government has allowed us to email our customers to offer first access to delivery slots, ensuring they get what they need while they stay safe at home. We’re also working on similar programmes for customers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.'

Asda priorities their most vulnerable customers

Asda Uk Online

How do I book an Asda delivery slot for a vulnerable person?

A representative for Asda told HELLO!: 'People who’ve been identified on the government’s vulnerable person list will have received either an email or a letter and all the information they need is in there.'

In terms of booking a slot, Asda's website says: 'During this busy time we'll only show slots for the next 7 days to allow us to prioritise our most vulnerable customers.'

Morrisons

How do I book a Morrisons delivery slot for a vulnerable person?

Like other supermarkets, Morrison's vulnerable customers will have received communication from them about priority online booking. The store is adding a fast track queue system so its vulnerable customers can be prioritised.

Asda Online Shopping Account

Tesco Online

Morrisons is launching a telephone ordering service

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The chain has introduced other measures to help vulnerable customers too. On March 23, the store launched a new range of food boxes containing grocery and household essentials for home delivery. There are five variations of food box, with prices ranging from £30 to £45.

Asda Online Grocery Shopping Delivery Slots

Morrisons is also launching a customer call centre for orders to be taken over the phone so that people who do not shop online can still order food. In the meantime, their online shopping customer number is 0345 322 0000.