Asda dodges fine as £800m IT upgrade deadline extended

Asda has escaped a penalty charge despite the supermarket missing a crucial target for separating its IT systems from former owner Walmart.

The US giant is understood to have given the British grocer an extension on its race to complete a £800m computer systems upgrade, The Telegraph reported.

Asda has spent much of the past year busy untangling thousands of programmes responsible for its checkouts, administration and payroll from Walmart’s to avoid a fine for continued use of the technology.

The changeover, dubbed Project Future, has been fraught with setbacks and delays including a botched update that led to thousands of the supermarket’s employees being paid incorrectly.

The pair are thought to have come to a revised agreement, including axing the original February deadline.

A spokesman for Asda, which was sold in 2021 to TDR Capital and the Issa brothers, told the title: “We continue to make good progress delivering Project Future and have successfully migrated large parts of our business to brand-new systems.

“We will continue to take a pragmatic approach when delivering the remainder of the programme and Walmart continue to be incredibly supportive in every way in helping with the implementation.”

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