The service will be rolled out across the province this year, beginning on Monday week at the Dundonald store, where 40 additional jobs have been created.

More than 80% of postcodes in Northern Ireland will be covered once the service is operating from all 14 Asda stores in the province.

Customers in north and east Belfast, north Down and the Ards Peninsula as far as Ballygowan, Carryduff and Lisburn will be able to avail of home delivery from the Dundonald store.

Branded Asda vans are expected to become a familiar sight on the province's roads, and stores are being extended to accommodate the new service.

Mark Pollard, the company's regional operations manager said: "This is yet another example of Asda living up to its commitments to shoppers in Northern Ireland.

"The past two and a half years have given us the ideal opportunity to bed down, listen to our customers and develop a service that fully responds to what they need and want.

"Home shopping is the next logical step in our expansion plans for Northern Ireland, and we're confident that by introducing our concept in this phased way, we can provide the level of service delivery which our customers have come to expect."

Asda, which moved into Northern Ireland when it acquired the 13 former Safeway stores in 2005, now employs 3,500 people here.