Asda has revealed a boost in its sales of local fruit and vegetables across the UK.
The number-two retailer’s local food sales are up 41 per cent on this time last year in England and Wales, while Scotland and Northern Ireland have shown a marked rise, with a 26.6 per cent increase.
Asda’s research comes as part of an £80,000 investment into exploring its customers’ views on local food.
More than 6,500 local lines are on its shelves, including fresh beetroot, carrot and butternut squash.
Caroline Burgess, Asda customer planning manager for emerging markets, describes the lift as a “phenomenal result”, which “means that local is now as big as more established areas of the business”.
She believes that the success of the retailer’s local range is down to its nine-strong hub system, which has been in place since 2002 and works in 14 regions across the UK.
She said: “[The local hubs are] working directly with local suppliers to guide them through the Asda accreditation process and act as a single distribution point, saving an average of three million food miles a year.”
Fraser Key, managing director of Asda supplier Keys of Lincolnshire, told FPJ: “I think the retailers are acting very responsibly after a slow start and are facing a crescendo of different issues.
“Consumers have realised that home-grown strawberries, for instance, far exceed imports under forced growing conditions in terms of taste, while our temperate climate and long day length is perfect for vegetable growing, which extracts the maximum energy and taste from the soil.”
Asda will continue to build on its local offer by trialling dedicated ‘local ambassadors’ in the North West to make sure local products are stocked correctly and provide advice to customers who may have any questions about where local products come from.
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