ASDA is celebrating the fifth year of its home shopping service by taking delivery of a new fleet of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans.

It currently offers the service from 30 stores nationwide and by the end of this year will be operating 180 dedicated vehicles, all 3.5-tonne chassis cabs.

The new Sprinters are fitted with refrigerated box bodies and are being supplied by two Mercedes-Benz dealers, Euro Commercials of South Wales, and Northside Truck & Van of Yorkshire.

Although Asda purchases the vehicles itself, they are then managed on its behalf under three-year deals by specialist provider VIA Solutions.

Asda home shopping fleet manager Harry Harrison said: 'Some of our new Mercedes-Benz vans will be replacing existing vehicles which have reached the end of their contracts, but others represent an extension to the overall size of their fleet.

This has been made necessary because of the tremendous growth in popularity of our home shopping business, particularly since customers can access the service online through the internet.'

Until now Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen had enjoyed equal stakes in the fleet but from next year, following Asda's latest order for 100 Sprinters, the majority of its home shopping delivery vans will wear the three-pointed star.