In 2005 Asda started out with three stores – in Bangor, Coleraine and Cookstown. Two decades on the retailer has 17 stores across Northern Ireland
Asda is celebrating 20 years in Northern Ireland by cutting the prices of nearly 300 local products.
Prices on key favourites such as Tayto, Irwin’s and Golden Cow will be reduced from Saturday, October 18, as the popular supermarket introduces a major round of price reductions on locally sourced products in its Northern Irish stores.
The price cuts are in addition to the 3,452 Rollback deals currently available.
Rachel Eyre, Chief Customer Officer at Asda, said: “To celebrate 20 years of Asda in Northern Ireland, we are cutting the price of almost 300 local family favourite products. This is a significant investment into locally sourced products that is reflective of our continued commitment to Northern Ireland and the hundreds of thousands of valued customers we serve week in week out.
“We understand the pressure families are under from rising living costs and we’re stepping up our support as all of us enter an expensive time of year. We’re cutting prices on the everyday local products that matter, helping to bring food bills down and provide even more value with every shop. This is real support, where it counts. That’s Asda Price.”
These include key favourites such as Punjana Original Blend 80 Tea Bags £2.98 to £2.85, Tayto Crisp 20 pack £3.98 to £3. Irwin’s Nutty Krust Sliced White Bread (880g) £1.84 to £1.76, Golden Cow Salted Butter (500g) £4.94 to £4.66.
In 2005 Asda started out with three stores – in Bangor, Coleraine and Cookstown. Two decades on the retailer has 17 stores across Northern Ireland and more than 3,000 colleagues who have built and developed their careers with Asda.
The retailer held a special birthday event on Friday, October 10, at St Clare’s Community Hall in Glenavy, which brought together colleagues from all 17 stores across Northern Ireland, along with suppliers, producers, and sector leaders.
It was revealed during the event that Asda currently sources more than half a billion pounds worth of produce per year from Northern Irish suppliers, marking two decades of investing in locally sourced products and supporting the agri-food sector.
In addition to its continued work with local suppliers, the retailer revealed local communities have benefitted from over £1million in funding, thanks to donations through the Asda Foundation and its long-standing support for BBC Children in Need and Tickled Pink Breast Cancer charities. This also included the team at St Clare’s, where the Glenclare Community Group was awarded £16,000 by the Asda Foundation earlier this year to replace the flooring at the Community Hall
Joe McDonald, Head of Corporate Affairs at Asda, said: “A significant birthday like 20 years is a great opportunity to sit back and reflect on the impact we’ve had on the places we live, work and do business.
“Northern Ireland is an incredibly important market for Asda, and we’ve made some fantastic progress in the two decades we’ve been operating here – not least across our communities and in our relationships with local suppliers.
“We’ve got an exceptional agri-food sector here and it’s fantastic for us at Asda to work with experts in the field to make sure we’re providing our customers with what they want – local products they know, trust and enjoy.”
George Mullan, Managing Director at ABP Food Group NI , the retailer’s lead supplier of beef, said: “Our partnership with Asda is hugely significant for the business, and is one based on a shared dedication to understanding our customers. We’re delighted to be able to mark this major milestone with the whole Asda family in Northern Ireland, to celebrate the huge contribution they make to the local agri-food sector.”
Claire Kemp, Chairperson at Glenclare Community Group which was awarded £16,000 by the Asda Foundation earlier this year, said: “We were delighted to host the celebration event and showcase how the Asda Foundation is impacting on community life here in Glenavy. We used the grant to repair our flooring, which was originally laid back in 1956. Before the funding came through the floor was deteriorating, and there was a real risk we might need to close the hall.
“But thanks to incredible support from the Asda Foundation, we were able to get straight to work – and even created a time capsule to go under the new floorboards, to be opened whenever the floor is eventually replaced in the future. We hope we’re now in a position to serve our community for another 70 years.”
The event also heard from Dr Niamh Buckley from Queen’s University Belfast who explained how Asda’s Tickled Pink campaign is funding Breast Cancer Research in Northern Ireland, backing 10 research projects and contributing to 38 discoveries over two decades.
She said: “Thanks to the incredible support from Asda, alongside that of others, Breast Cancer Now has been able to make a real difference for people affected by breast cancer in Northern Ireland. Support from organisations like Asda plays an important role in helping to fund vital research and provide information and services for those who need it most.
“In Northern Ireland, support like this has helped Breast Cancer Now cover membership costs for 53 local healthcare professionals to be part of the charity’s Healthcare Professional Hub, while more than 190 people have registered to attend the charity’s Living with Secondary Breast Cancer groups across Belfast and Derry in the past 12 months.”
Also attending Friday’s event was long service colleague Peter Beckett, store manager at Asda Cookstown , who has been with Asda NI since the very beginning.
He said: “What a wonderful celebration for all the Asda family here in Northern Ireland as we mark a remarkable 20 years in operation. Hearing all about the contributions the business makes, not just to the local economy, but to the communities we live in, is a great honour to be part of, and even better to see our ongoing investment.”
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