Asda sources more than half a billion pounds worth of produce a year from Northern Irish suppliers, the retailer has revealed today.
The figures, which shared at a special event celebrating Asda’s 20-year contribution to Northern Ireland, marks two decades of providing customers with locally sourced products and support for the agri-food sector.
In addition to its continued support for 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 Children in Need and Tickled Pink charities.
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.”
As well as its support for the local agri-food sector, Asda employs a total of 3,016 colleagues across its NI stores – a figure Joe McDonald says is something to be proud of.
“In 2005 we started out with three stores in Bangor, Coleraine and Cookstown. Two decades on, we have 17 stores across Northern Ireland and more than 3,000 colleagues who have built and developed their careers with Asda. I’m proud to celebrate all that we’ve achieved with them today.”
The retailer’s birthday event, held at St Clare’s Community Hall in Glenavy, brought together colleagues from all 17 stores across Northern Ireland, along with suppliers, producers, and sector leaders.
Charity partners were also in attendance to celebrate Asda’s community impact, with over £1 million in funding provided to good causes through the Asda Foundation, Children in Need, and Tickled Pink.
Claire Kemp, Chairperson at Glenclare Community Group which was awarded £16,000 by the Asda Foundation earlier this year, said: “We’re delighted to host today’s 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 customers we see every day and the communities we live in, is a great honour. I’ve always been proud to be part of the Asda team and today is a prouder day than most.”
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