Overview
- Asda, which reported results Friday, said 2025 sales excluding fuel fell 3.3% to £21bn and adjusted earnings dropped by a third to £764m.
- The company blamed a £1bn IT separation from Walmart-era systems for severe disruption that left shelves short of stock and pushed customers to rivals.
- Operational metrics have improved, with availability at 95% and like-for-like sales moving from declines in January and February to 1.2% growth so far in March.
- Executive chair Allan Leighton, who returned in 2024 and is running the grocer without a CEO, said the balance sheet can support the multi‑year turnaround.
- Leighton rejected claims from Chancellor Rachel Reeves that forecourt operators are profiteering on fuel, a sensitive issue for Asda given its 300-plus petrol stations.