Asda in Bletchley has been the subject of a transformation costing almost £7m.
The store is exclusively trialing a ‘Click, Explore, Collect’ personal shopper service and there will also be a Rawr Beauty concession, offering lash, brow and nail services on a walk-in appointment basis.
It is also hosting a number of big brands including Missguided, Decathlon, New Look, Claire’s and Accessorize.
A new food court, including an eating area, has been created to boast offers from the iconic American bakery and pizza brands Cinnabon and S’barro as well as Bubbleology Bubble Tea and Leon.
A number of ‘Food for Later’ offers have also been added to the store, including a woodfired pizza counter where customers can ‘create their own’ and get this cooked to takeaway, along with a Panku pan-Asian street food concession that will see favourites such as Katsu curry freshly prepared in-store for customers to enjoy at home.
A Haji Baba counter has also launched, offering a wide range of fresh halal meats and expert advice.
Elsewhere in the store , a Decathlon aisle has been added for fitness fans alongside ranges from Maximuscle and My Protein.
The changes, all launched this week form one of the biggest makeovers in Asda's history.
The personal shopper service sees customers place their order in store via a tablet using their online account. Once the order has been placed, a ‘host’ colleague located in the food court will be on hand to discuss any preferences around things like produce.
This is currently being trialled at the Bletcham Way store and will be offered free of charge for the trial period.
Customers are encouraged to explore the facilities in store while they wait for their order - including the food court, fashion and beauty offers.
After the order has been picked, the customer will receive a text message and colleagues will arrange to pack the items into bags. The order can then be brought to the Order, Explore, Collect stand in the food court, or picked up through the Click & Collect drive thru.
Earlier this year the store became one of the first in the country to receive a number of branded and own-brand products sold in loose and unpackaged formats as part of a refill trial.
Last month it coined another UK supermarket first in the form of a refillable ‘Craft on Draft’ beer trial launched in store.
Other improvements expected to land in the coming months include the launch of a ‘Ninja Warrior UK’ soft play assault course next door to the store, and a Greggs concession within the food court.
Michael Scullion, Development Manager at Asda, said: “This is our biggest transformation of the year and Asda Milton Keynes has been selected to test a number of new and exciting customer trials that will bring more services to customers at this store.
“The launch of our Click, Explore and Collect trial will make shopping even easier for customers - and along with the inclusion of a number of partnerships - will deliver added value and convenience whilst shopping in store.”
Store manager Mohammed Miah said: “This is our biggest transformation of the year and we’re proud to have been selected to receive a number of exciting trials at Asda Milton Keynes.
“Customers already love the addition of the refill zone to the store along with improvements that make it easier to shop with us.
“In the coming weeks and months, we’ll be receiving more offers and new partnerships that we hope will be well received by our customers.”
Our gallery of photographs shows the transformation.
