Deals

Walmart to Explore Options for Asda Including IPO

U.S. retailer mulls Asda listing after Sainsbury deal blocked
Asda has received lukewarm private-equity interest so far

A customer pushes a shopping cart as she walks towards an Asda supermarket, operated by Wal-Mart Stores Inc., in the Wembley district of London, U.K.Photographer: Simon Dawson

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By Ruth David, Deirdre Hipwell, and Ellen Milligan

April 25, 2019 at 9:26 AM UTC

Updated on

April 25, 2019 at 1:39 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

Walmart Inc. is exploring options for its Asda unit including an initial public offering after plans to combine the business with J Sainsbury Plc to create the U.K.’s largest supermarket chain collapsed, according to people familiar with the matter.

U.K. antitrust regulators’ decision to block the 7.3 billion-pound ($9.4 billion) deal threw up a roadblock to the world’s largest retailer as it moves to reshape its international operations. Walmart was aiming to focus on faster-growing markets than Britain, where a shift to online shopping and the rise of discounters Aldi and Lidl are making life difficult for traditional supermarket chains.