By Alice Chambers |
Asda has expanded its partnership with Microsoft in one of the UK retail sector’s largest technology deals, using Microsoft’s solutions to finetune its product pricing, improve product availability, and free colleagues for higher-value work.
The supermarket, with more than 1,200 stores and around 140,000 employees, is pursuing a cloud-first, AI-powered strategy. Microsoft Azure underpins Asda’s data, analytics, security and integration platforms, while Microsoft 365 Copilot helps colleagues streamline daily tasks.
“When you’re cloud-first, you can flex, you can optimise, and you can trust your partners to customise, update, maintain and protect the systems. That’s a real advantage,” said Matt Kelleher, chief digital officer at Asda.
Azure-powered analytics from Databricks and Microsoft Fabric turn customer data into actionable insights, enabling dynamic pricing, smarter product assortment and precise stock distribution. Microsoft Defender protects the retailer’s digital core, while Azure Integration Services ensures all systems communicate seamlessly.
“Copilot is with me from the moment I come into the office,” said Kelleher. “I can ask ‘what have I missed?’, ‘what is it that I need to know?’, ‘what do I need to prioritise?’”
The partnership also includes joint investment in new technologies and skills initiatives, giving colleagues the tools and training to thrive in an AI-enabled workplace.
“We’re now post divestiture and into growth mode,” said Kelleher. “And Microsoft is a critical partner in helping us create that growth.”