UK: Asda owners aim to expand its stores across Europe

Mohsin and Zuber Issa are studying the possibility of opening their “On the Move” convenience stores as a first step into the international market.

Asda’s owners are exploring the possibility of expanding the British brand into the rest of the European market. Currently Mohsin and Zuber Issa are studying whether their “On the Move” convenience store could be expanded across their 3,000-plus petrol forecourts located in Europe.

According to a recent report by The Times UK, Asda is aiming to broaden its retail operations across continental Europe. After the £6.8 billion purchase of the Yorkshire-based company last year, EG Group and TDR Capital are looking to expand the brand as much as they can.

This project could become a reality after the opening of 200 new Asda On the Move stores on EG’s UK forecourts by the end of next year as well as new supermarkets in the area. Both plans are the priority of the Issa brothers, besides other projects such as expanding Asda’s supermarket offer with food courts and more health and beauty brands. This potential expansion could be frozen by the high cost it would mean to the company after Brexit, which complicated other brands' expansion across the EU territory.