London parents, this free Asda Easter hunt could be a lifesaver

Anyone doing the big shop with kids over Easter knows the drill. You pop in for a “quick one”, and within ten minutes, you’re negotiating over snacks, fielding complaints and hearing “I’m bored” echo down the frozen aisle. It’s more of a test of endurance than anything else.

That’s exactly where Asda is pitching in this year, turning the weekly shop into something a bit more manageable. Rather than fighting for attention against screens or sugar, the supermarket is rolling out a free in-store Easter Bunny hunt across its stores, including those in London. Giving kids something to actually do while you get through the essentials.

The idea is simple: little ones search for hidden letters around the shop that spell “BUNNY”, turning what would normally be a trolley-bound trudge into something closer to a game. Whilst there's no easter eggs up for grabs, it will be a fun, easy-to-do treasure hunt which will keep the littles ones occupied whilst you get the actual essentials done.

It taps into a wider reality most parents will recognise. Easter egg hunts are still one of the easiest ways to keep kids entertained, but they rarely last. The eggs get found too quickly, the excitement fizzles out, and you’re back to square one before you’ve even unpacked the bags. By shifting that idea into the supermarket, somewhere you already have to be, Asda’s giving parents a ready-made distraction that doesn’t require any extra planning, spending or clean-up afterwards.

There’s a bit of strategy behind it, too. The whole thing has been put together with help from Paul Gorton, who’s taken his “think two steps ahead” approach and applied it to keeping kids engaged for longer. In practice, that just means pacing things properly, not letting everything happen at once, and giving kids a reason to stay interested from the entrance to the checkout.

It also lands at a time when a lot of families are trying to keep costs down. With school holidays putting pressure on budgets, more parents are leaning into low-effort, low-cost ways to fill the day, and if you can tick that box while doing the food shop anyway, even better.

It might not sound like a game-changer on paper, but if it buys you 30 minutes of relative peace while you navigate the aisles, it’s doing exactly what it needs to.

London Asda superstores taking part:

• Beckton
• Charlton
• Clapham Junction (Battersea)
• Colindale
• Isle of Dogs
• Leyton Mills (Leyton)
• Old Kent Road
• Park Royal

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