Supermarket Aims To Sell $1 Billion In Furniture

January 1, 2007  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in on January 2007 Asda, Britain’s second-largest supermarket chain, is taking direct aim at retailers like Ikea with plans to boost its furniture sales to nearly $1 billion within five years.

The supermarket chain, which is owned by Wal-Mart Stores, began selling furniture in 26 super-center stores and seven specialty Living stores a year ago and is dramatically expanding furniture offerings on its Web site, asda-furniture.co.uk, according to published reports. The reports quote company officials saying Asda hopes to gain a 5 percent share of Britain’s furniture market by offering free delivery by crews who also take away all packaging to be recycled. More than 800,000 furniture catalogs are currently being distributed through the company’s 300 stores.

Peter Pritchard, managing director of Asda’s non-food business, said the company will triple the number of furniture products currently being offered by Easter.

Targeting the value end of the furniture market, Asda will sell compact sofas for less than $600.