Asda is removing more than 4,000 product lines as it battles to win back shoppers by cutting prices. The supermarket says the change will make shelves easier to navigate and reduce waste.

The supermarket says the radical overhaul, which represents a major gamble by reducing choice, is part of a sweeping “simplification” drive.

The cutbacks come as the supermarket records falling sales ahead of Christmas, leaving bosses scrambling to convince shoppers that cheaper prices will bring them back through the tills.

A tit for tat price war among the major chains was at least partly responsible for a fall in food price inflation reported on Wednesday by the Office for National Statistics. It said food inflation fell back from 4.9% in October to 4.2% in November.

In the latest sign of trouble at the Leeds-based grocer, north of 4,000 Stock Keeping Units – from everyday staples to lesser-bought lines – have been stripped from Asda’s shelves in recent weeks as part of a plan to eliminate up to 5,000 or more products.

The aim, according to the Grocery Gazette, is to simplify the supply chain and drive volume on key lines.

But the cutbacks have done little to mask the scale of Asda’s struggles. Latest industry figures show the supermarket suffered a 4.3% drop in sales over the 12 weeks to the end of November, leaving it as the only big grocer with a revenue slump heading into the crucial festive period.

In a last-ditch bid to win back customers, Asda has repeatedly leaned on price cuts this year.

Earlier in 2025 the retailer reintroduced its famous “Rollback” campaign – slashing prices on thousands of popular products by up to 25% – and promised more deep discounts on everything from fresh fruit to branded favourites.

It even rolled out fresh price reductions across hundreds of lines in the autumn, as part of an expanded value drive pitched at hard-pressed families.

Yet rival supermarkets have matched or exceeded many of these cuts, leaving Asda’s efforts looking less like a price revolution and more like a defensive response to sliding market share.

Industry insiders say shoppers have voted with their feet, increasingly flocking to rivals such as Tesco, Aldi and Lidli for better perceived value.

Just this week, both Aldi and Lidl have been promoting a Christmas turkey dinner for eight at a price of £11.85, based on relying on a cheaper frozen bird.

Under the headline “simplification strategy,” Asda chairman Allan Leighton has argued that culling thousands of products will make shelves easier to navigate and reduce waste.

But suppliers and analysts warn this comes with a risk: fewer choices for customers at a time when competition for every penny is fiercest.

Critics say the tactics feel like throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks – from stripping down ranges and threatening stricter sick-leave policies, to repeat price-cut blasts that may yet dent margins still further.

An Asda spokesperson said: “One of the key pillars of our formula for growth is to be ranged in a way that is simple for the customer, removes complexity on our shelves and in our supply chain, and drives volume growth in key lines – growing sales for both Asda and our suppliers.”