Asda has become the latest supermarket to trial a four-day working week for its staff at some of its UK stores.
It's part of the supermarket giant's wider "case for change" to improve employee working conditions.
Following in the recent footsteps of a number of other fellow supermarket retailers – including M&S, Sainsbury's, and more – Asda has confirmed that it’s now offering some of its staff the chance to work just four days a week.
The new flexible work perk is said to have been introduced back in September last year as an option for Store Managers, and forms part of the supermarket giant’s wider “case for change” and its attempts to improve working conditions after significant walkouts among senior staff were threatened, according to reports in The Telegraph.
Image: Asda
Reports have suggested that the company’s owners, the Blackburn-born billionaire Issa brothers, are in the process of trying to rebuild relations with senior employees, and the four-day work week trial – which is set to be concluded later this month – is a major part of this.
It comes after a barrage of cost cuts and concerns over culture have led to Store Managers “leaving in their droves”.
The retailer was also braced for its first-ever strike later this month, with employees at a superstore in Gosport set to walk out from this Friday (19 January), but it’s believed that this industrial action has now been called off.
On top of the introduction of four-day working, Asda’s apparently also experimenting with other flexible working arrangements too – such as shorter shifts.
Asda says initial staff feedback from the trial has been “positive” so far.
Image: Asda
An Asda spokesperson told The Telegraph: “Since September 2023, we have been trialling a variety of flexible working patterns for managers in 20 stores, including a four-day working week for the same pay and benefits. There has been no reduction in the number of hours that hourly-paid colleagues are contracted to work as a result of this trial.
“While we are still evaluating the results, the feedback from participating colleagues has been very positive.”
Asda’s trialling of the shorter working week also comes after the world’s largest four-day work pilot began in June 2022, and ran for a total of six-months before it was brought to a close earlier last year – with 91% of participating companies calling it a “success”.
You can now get your hands on the iconic takeaway staple right here in Leeds City Centre .
Pour yourself a cold glass of water, because it's about to get real salty up in here.
The spice bag is an Irish delicacy that is often devoured after a few Guinness on the streets of Dublin, for example.
It consists of shredded and battered chicken, chips, onions and peppers - all deep fried, loaded into a bag and tossed in lashings of salt and pepper seasoning.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Oh, and of course dipped or lathered in a sauce of your choosing. The classic being curry sauce, obviously.
It's never been available to buy in Leeds before, until now.
Located inside Trinity Kitchen, Doles Dirty Bags are serving up...well, dirty bags I suppose.
Image: The Hoot LeedsImage: The Hoot Leeds
They're bringing the spice bags to the people of Leeds and we're absolutely over the moon that they are.
They've got a couple of options for you to choose from, including the classic chicken spice bag as well as the garlic spice bag which has lashings of garlic butter inside - yum.
There's also a BBQ beef spice bag as well as a vegan tofu one, so absolutely no one has to miss out on the deliciousness.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
They're also serving up a selection of burgers if that's what you fancy.
But if you want to sample a spice bag for yourself, then you're going to want to be quick as Doles Dirty Bags will only be cooking inside Trinity Kitchen until Sunday 29 March.
So have a couple pints down the road at Whitelock's and get yourself to Dole's, we assure you they'll sort you out good and proper.
Loyle Carner to headline Kirkstall Abbey as part of new all-day music event
Clementine Hall
Loyle Carner has been announced as the headliner for ‘Above All Else’ a new curated event that will form part of the Live at Kirkstall Abbey concert series.
Boy oh boy are we excited about this one.
An all-day celebration of music and culture is coming to Kirkstall Abbey, ‘Above All Else’ is a new event from independent Leeds promoters Futuresound with forward-thinking curation at its heart.
And who better to headline its debut than Loyle Carner.
Released last summer, Loyle Carner’s fourth full-length album Hopefully! reasserted his position at the forefront of the UK’s emotionally-charged hip hop movement.
Images: Supplied
First finding his voice in 2013 with the A Little Late EP, it was Loyle Carner’s debut album 2017’s Yesterday’s Gone that brought the artist to national attention and earned himself a Mercury Music Prize nomination and BRIT award nominations for British Breakthrough Act and British Male Solo Artist at just 23 years old.
Joining Loyle Carner at ‘Above All Else’ will be a full supporting line-up including acclaimed Grammy and Ivor-Novello award nominated songwriter Jordan Rakei and Kokoroko, the London based sextet.
Completing the line-up is much-hyped Birmingham rapper Kofi Stone and rising Dublin collective Bricknasty.
Also announced for Live At Kirkstall Abbey 2026 are revered British multi-hyphenates The Streets, reunited Leeds indie heroes The Sunshine Underground, art rock royalty The Maccabees will be performing their only northern gig and the hugely successful Kirkstall Abbey Comedy Festival is gearing up for a return featuring Dara Ó’Brien, Jason Manford, Lucy Beamount and more.
Kirkstall postcode pre-sale for local residents (LS4, LS5, LS13 & LS18) will open at 10am on Wednesday 28 January here with general sale opening at 10am on Friday 30 January here.
Emily Sergeant -
18th January 2024 
