ASDA Wal*Mart

Owned by Wal-Mart Stores, the biggest company in the world by value, ASDA is the second biggest supermarket chain in the UK with 17% of the market share. This includes sales of non-food items. Asda overtook Sainbury’s in July 2003 (they are now floundering with 16.2% of the market) although it is still a long way off Tesco's almost unassailable 28% market share.

As of June 2004 Asda operated 259 stores and 19 depots, mainly in Scotland and northern England, and employed 122,000 staff or 'colleagues'.