ASDA set to open first virtual store
After reporting an 8.4% increase in like-for-like sales in the first quarter of 2009 it has been revealed that ASDA will open its first UK virtual supermarket later this year. The new store will be located in Morley in Yorkshire and exclusively supply Internet customers via the company's online virtual store. It is in effect a store with shelves but no conveyor belts and no customers.
This is not the first virtual supermarket store to open in the UK with Tesco opening its own version last year with mixed results. There are some concerns that the UK consumers are not yet ready to move all food and non-food item purchases online due to a variety of security risks and the fact that many people like to see what they are buying. However, there is no doubt that virtual stores and online purchases continue to see turnover increase year by year as the Internet becomes part of everyday life for a large portion of the UK population.
Companies such as ASDA and Tesco are leading the way in the UK supermarket sector and despite the difficult economic times, both companies have fared fairly well over the last few months.
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