The announcement that Asda has bought Netto and is set to expand into a new format got retail circles whispering at the end of last week.

The grocery landscape is changing more quickly than ever, with the major multiples having to think on their feet for the best part of two years while more recently, two chains - first Morrisons, then Asda - have appointed new chief executives.

The number-two retailer is an interesting case in point. Now that former chief operating officer Andy Clark is at the helm, this latest venture is likely to mark the start of the next phase for Asda as it looks to reinforce its position in the increasingly cut-throat UK grocery market.

Interestingly, the announcement comes a month after Asda reported its first sales drop in four years in a performance branded “disappointing” by chairman Andy Bond.

Clark claims that “the creation of new in-store jobs in a tough economy will also be a welcome boost in scores of communities across the UK” and the move will give Asda the opportunity to position stores at the heart of communities that will not have previously had access to its larger outlets.

But what will this mean for the supplier base?

This week’s freshinfo poll asks, what will Asda’s acquisition of Netto mean for the grocery market? At the time of going to press, 41 per cent of respondents said the move was “a cause for concern”.

Only time will tell.