Overview
- Asda confirmed on Friday, July 10 that its Hale Barns supermarket will close on Friday, July 31 after about two years of trading.
- Waitrose has agreed to take over the 11,000 sq ft premises and plans to open a store there in autumn 2026 with an exact date to be confirmed.
- Existing Asda staff at the site will transfer to Waitrose and receive training to become Waitrose Partners, with additional roles being created ahead of the opening.
- Asda has told customers they can use nearby Altrincham and Wythenshawe superstores or its online service after the Hale Barns closure.
- The local change follows wider Asda measures to reduce costs, including roughly 7,500 job cuts over the past year and more than £730 million in interest costs linked to its 2021 takeover, and could signal growing competition in the north of England's supermarket market.