Invest Northern Ireland has helped Asda chain in its bid to increase the range of local products it sells.
Twenty local food companies were given the chance to pitch their products to the UK’s second biggest supermarket chain, ASDA, in a Meet the Buyer event held at Invest NI’s Bedford Square headquarters in Belfast.
The event is the second networking opportunity to be held by Invest NI this year in conjunction with one of the UK’s main food retailers.
The retail giant was able to hold one-on-one meetings with local food companies, and key buyers from ASDA were given the opportunity to sample a wide range of local products from ice-cream, to cheese, cider and popcorn.
Maynard Mawhinney, Invest NI’s director of food, said: “This is an excellent opportunity for local food and drink businesses to sell their products directly to one of the UK’s leading food retailers, one with a local sourcing policy that accommodates suppliers that may only have the capacity to supply a single store.
“All of the companies involved in the event realise that in order to achieve profitable sales they must offer innovative, highly differentiated products that specifically meet the needs of their target customer base.”
