Asda has introduced a raft of measures, including extra security, to keep shoppers and staff as safe as possible in the run-up to Christmas as the Covid outbreak continues.

From Saturday until Christmas Eve, Asda will deploy extra security staff at the doors of its 421 biggest branches to manage access. That is on top of the safety marshals already stationed at the front of shops.

The grocer is also applying an “antimicrobial coating” to customer touch points such as fridge and freezer handles and checkouts, as well as to shopping basket and trolley handles, and is using queuing app Qudini to enable customers to wait in their cars until they are allocated a slot.

Asda is installing new point-of-sale material reminding customers of the need to maintain social distancing and using customer-counting technology in its 100 busiest shops to manage the flow of shoppers.

The upgraded measures come as retailers prepare for the final Christmas shopping rush when many people buy their festive food. 

Other retailers, such as Marks & Spencer, have also introduced services such as shopping slot bookings to create as safe an environment as possible.

Asda chief executive Roger Burnley said: “The festive season is always the busiest time of year for our stores, so we have introduced additional safety measures to protect colleagues and customers. 

“These new measures will help customers to get in and out of our larger stores quickly and safely, and we are confident they will continue to play their part by respecting social distancing when they shop.”