Asda celebrates success of local sourcing initiative

Sales Increase as Customers Buy Into Local Produce

Sales of Scottish potatoes have nearly doubled this year at ASDA thanks to a new initiative that has seen local Ayrshire potatoes promoted throughout its chain of Scottish stores.

Although many of the potatoes ASDA sells are already grown locally in Scotland, until recently they weren't clearly identified as being Scottish. This year as part of a local sourcing drive the supermarket has introduced Ayrshire's into all of its 34 stores in Scotland, and launched a promotional campaign celebrating home-grown produce. All locally grown produce is now clearly labelled with the Scottish flag and actively promoted in store.

The results of a similar local sourcing trial in Cornwall produced equally dramatic results for the supermarket, prompting it to roll out its local produce programme to stores in Wales and Cheshire. Later in the year ASDA hopes to extend the scheme further by introducing local produce ranges in its stores in Kent.

Karen Todd, local sourcing manager at ASDA said: "Local sourcing makes good business sense. Not only does it mean we can reduce the number of miles food has to travel before it reaches our stores, but it also enables customers to support produce from their local community.

"We have seen dramatic uplifts in sales as more and more customers buy into local produce, which is also great news for farmers."

ASDA is committed to extending the range and volume of home-grown produce it sells to its customers. In April it launched a buy British campaign under the banner: "Good, Honest Value - Celebrating Home-grown Produce", with the aim of increasing sales for its farmer suppliers, whilst educating customers about where their food comes from.

This year the supermarket has already extended the growing season for new, baby and salad potatoes by 10 weeks, and become the only retailer to halt foreign imports of carrots by extending the growing season from 46 weeks of the year to 52. For salad potatoes this means ASDA will sell 1.2 million more 750g packs, for baby and new potatoes it will sell an additional 1.15 million kilos, and 4.5 million extra kilos of British carrots.

The core of ASDA's potato and carrot grower base is now on 'cost plus' contracts. This gives growers the confidence and financial stability they need to invest in their businesses, plan more effectively and deliver the consistent supply of quality produce ASDA and its customers need.