Asda to open 34 new stores before Christmas with 8 opening today - see full list

Asda's new sites will be under its Asda Express brand with stores opening in Norfolk, Hampshire, Dorset, Durham, Staffordshire and West Yorkshire today

Asda will be opening 34 new stores in the coming weeks with eight opening their doors to the public today.

The supermarket chain's new sites are all under the Asda Express brand which are its smaller convenience stores. The new stores today will be opening in Norfolk, Hampshire, Dorset, Durham, Staffordshire and West Yorkshire. Two more stores will be opening on December 11, a further 12 on December 12, four more on December 13, seven more on December 14 and another one on December 15.

The openings come as Asda continues its rapid rollout of Co-op and EG Group petrol forecourt conversions. Asda took over a total of 132 Coop forecourts last year in a deal worth £438million. More recently, the supermarket chain completed its acquisition of EG Group for £2.27billion which saw it take on even more convenience stores.

Both deals are part of Asda's plan to become the UK's second-largest supermarket chain and grow in the convenience store sector. Overall, Asda will open nearly 500 Asda Express stores in the coming few years. The supermarket chain said it is committed to opening 300 stand-alone sites by the end of 2026.

Asda says its new express stores will stock up to 3,000 branded and own-label products to "suit a broad range of customer needs" including "top-up shops" for essential items such as milk and bread, "grabbing lunch on the go or cooking dinner from scratch".

On the openings, an Asda spokesperson said: “This acceleration into convenience plays a key role in our ambition to grow our share and become the number two supermarket in the UK. We look forward to bringing Asda’s great value fuel and groceries to more communities across the UK as we continue our rollout in the coming months.”

Full list of Asda Express openings:

• Sweet Briar Road, Norwich, Norfolk - 7 Dec
• Bishopstoke Road, Eastleigh, Hampshire - 7 Dec
• Bath Road, Bournemouth, Dorset - 7 Dec
• Aberford Road, Wakefield, West Yorkshire - 7 Dec
• Skircoat Road, Halifax, West Yorkshire - 7 Dec
• Ropery Lane, Chester Le Street, Durham - 7 Dec
• M6 South Bound, Stone, Staffordshire - 7 Dec
• Wareham Road, Wimborne, Dorset - 7 Dec
• Green Ln, Dordon, Wilnecote, Tamworth B77 5PS - 11 Dec
• Langley Mill, Nottingham, Derbyshire - 11 Dec
• High Street East, Glossop, Derbyshire - 12 Dec
• Crofters Lodge, Newcastle upon Tyne - 12 Dec
• Edinburgh Road, Glasgow - 12 Dec
• Doldowlod, Llandrindod Wells , Powys - 12 Dec
• Brecon Road, Powys - 12 Dec
• High Street, Ascot, Berkshire - 12 Dec
• Manchester Road, Bury, Greater Manchester - 12 Dec
• Friary Road, Acton, W3 6G - 12 Dec
• Moorland Road, Stoke on Trent - 12 Dec
• Derby Road, Burton - 12 Dec
• New Chester Road, Birkenhead, Merseyside - 12 Dec
• Chain Road, Balengwrach, Neath - 12 Dec
• New Road, Radcliffe - 13 Dec
• Bolton Road, Kearsley, Bolton, Lancashire - 13 Dec
• Vale Road, Stourport on Severn, Worcestershire - 13 Dec
• Loughborough Road, Ruddington, Nottinghamshire - 13 Dec
• Hobs Moat Road, Birmingham - 14 Dec
• Corporation Street, Birmingham - 14 Dec
• Dunham Road, Altrincham, Cheshire - 14 Dec
• Benton Park Road, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear - 14 Dec
• Ruxley Road, Stoke on Trent - 14 Dec
• Derby Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire - 14 Dec
• Hawthorne Street, Wilmslow, Cheshire - 14 Dec
• Hilltop Roundabout J.A1M/A614 (151), Worksop, Nottinghamshire - 15 Dec