// Asda gives 5000 nurseries priority access to delivery slots as they continue to support parents through lockdown
// They’ll benefit from advance access to slots up to 21 days in advance until the end of the summer
// Asda also extending Priority Pass offer for more than 400,000 vulnerable customers & 2500 care homes
Asda has announced it will offer priority access to slots to support 5000 nurseries who shop online and continue to provide essential childcare services under lockdown.
The Big 4 grocer said it would provide thousands of nursery customers with a Priority Pass, in recognition of the “vital role that nurseries play in supporting parents”, many of whom are Asda staff themselves.
The Priority Pass allows the nurseries to benefit from advance access to slots up to 21 days in advance, and the opportunity to book a recurring slot to secure a regular grocery order each week.
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Asda said it would guarantee these customers can receive priority access until the end of the summer.
The grocery giant also confirmed it would extend its Priority Pass offer for more than 400,000 clinically and extremely vulnerable customers and 2500 care homes. This means they would benefit from priority access until the end of August.
Asda said it was able to extend support for its most vulnerable customers thanks to an increase in online capacity, which has seen it expand the number of weekly slots from 450,000 in early 2020 to 850,000 at the start of 2021.
The retailer expects another 50,000 slots to be added by April, bringing the total to 900,000.
“Nurseries provide a vital service to parents across the UK, including many Asda colleagues, who continue to benefit from their support under lockdown,” Asda vice president of online grocery Simon Gregg said.
“By giving them priority access to slots it will enable them to receive regular grocery deliveries, which makes it possible for them to continue serving communities and carrying out their essential role.
“Since the start of the pandemic we have increased delivery capacity and accelerated our online expansion to meet levels we had anticipated reaching in eight years in a matter of months, and it is because of this that we are able to extend our support for our most vulnerable customers.
“We have supported clinically extremely vulnerable customers since shielding began and throughout the winter, and I am pleased that we are able to extend our Priority Pass offer to give further peace of mind as the vaccine programme rolls out.”
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