UK supermarket group Asda has said that its first four stores in Northern Ireland have beaten weekly sales targets.
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By 6 p.m. on Sunday night, a week after opening its first three stores in Bangor, Coleraine and Cookstown and just three days after Ballyclare opened its doors for the first time, Asda had smashed its weekly sales targets by around 30%.
CEO Andy Bond said local farmers and food suppliers are already reaping the rewards: sales of Maris Piper potatoes have been so swift extra deliveries have been rushed into stores to keep up with demand. Punjana tea bags are the most popular choice in Cookstown and Bangor, whilst Coleraine shoppers can’t get enough of Dromona cheddar and Irwin’s muffins.
Jason Hempton, sales manager (Ireland) for Dale Farm, said Asda’s entry into Northern Ireland had led to significant volume increases.
“Asda stated at the outset that it was committed to maintaining and growing its local supply relationships,” said Hempton. “We are delighted to confirm that in its very first week of trading locally, Asda is delivering on this promise and has in fact increased its volume with Dale Farm by 400%. This includes more than doubling our initial pre-opening orders and also additional daily deliveries to all four new stores with our core brands Dale Farm milk, Spelga yoghurt, and Dromona Cheese.”
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By GlobalDataOn 27 October) Asda plans to open its fifth and sixth Northern Ireland stores in Kilkeel and Strabane, with the remaining six stores opening between 14 November and 5 December.
“We are looking forward to getting our hands on the last remaining Safeway stores. As soon as we do, we will work our socks off to convert them into Asda stores as quickly as possible to bring local customers the great value ranges that shoppers across NI clearly want to buy,” John Deasy, Asda’s NI director added.
