Asda to complete botched IT transition six months late

Yahoo

a day ago

Asda is on the brink of finishing its botched £1bn IT upgrade six months later than planned, with bosses hopeful that the delayed transition will bolster the supermarket's turnaround efforts.
The troubled retail giant has told staff that it plans to finally disentangle its computer systems from former owner Walmart within weeks, as it moves the last-remaining stores to an entirely new digital network.
It will bring an end to what has been a painful transition process for Asda, which has spent four years trying to complete the programme, dubbed Project Future.
The supermarket had initially been aiming to finish the upgrade in February earlier this year.
However, the project has been hit with a series of setbacks, including an IT update in March last year that led to thousands of workers receiving incorrect payslips.
Delays had also put Asda at risk of a hefty fine after missing a cut-off date with Walmart, although the US retailer ultimately agreed to a revised timeframe.
Hundreds of workers have been let go in the months leading up to the end of Project Future, which has been described by Asda as 'mission critical' to its revival plans.
The upgrade was championed by Mohsin Issa, Asda's co-owner, who previously managed the supermarket between 2021 and 2024.
He has since been replaced by Allan Leighton, who returned to the business as chairman in November.
Mr Leighton has since argued that the retailer is not rushing efforts to improve its performance, saying earlier this year: 'There is absolutely no pressure on me or the business to come up with a quick fix.
'A quick fix would be completely the wrong thing to do.'
He has, however, embarked on a major drive to win back shoppers – slashing prices and overhauling tired stores.
Asda said profits would be materially lower this year as it seeks to reverse years of decline following the takeover by TDR Capital and the Issa brothers in 2021.
The most recent figures from World Panel show that Asda's market share slipped from 12.8pc to 11.8pc in the year to the middle of July. That is compard to 15pc the time of its takeover in 2021.
However, in May, Mr Leighton said sales data suggested performance was improving, saying: 'What we're looking at here is the business turning.'
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