Trouble at Asda Essentials

Wal-Mart's plans for a national chain of Asda Essentials mini-supermarkets looked under threat, as the group prepare to close one of its two trial shops.

Asda chief executive Andy Bond launched the pair of discount stores last year, but staff at one of the outlets in Northampton were told it is to close by the end of this month - just 10 months after opening.

Asda had plans to roll out smaller stores across the country, but the closure raises questions about the entire Essentials trial.

An Asda spokesman said: 'Whilst the colleagues in the store have given it 100 per cent, the Northampton Essentials store performance hasn't been meeting our high expectations.'

The Northampton Essentials staff will be offered jobs at local Asda supermarkets and the retailer insisted that there are no plans to close the second trial store at Pontefract in Yorkshire.