Supermarket giant Asda has announced plans to double the number of goods sourced from local suppliers by 2011.
In September the Wal-Mart owned retailer added a further 600 goods to its range of local produce that it stocks, taking the total number of goods to 6,800.
But due to a positive response from its customers, Asda has this week committed to vastly increasing this figure to 15,000 over the next 26 months.
An Asda spokesman said that a recent customer survey by the retailer showed that shoppers prefer to purchase local produce wherever possible.
He added that sales of locally-sourced food and drink have risen by 89 per cent and generated turnover of £150m so far this year.
Asda currently operates a scheme that helps all its local suppliers manage their relationship with the retailer .
Under the so-called local hub initiative, 13 third-party run distribution centres across the country work directly with small local suppliers, helping them co-ordinate deliveries, assist with paperwork and act as a representative for the suppliers .
The way in which UK supermarkets work with their suppliers has come under fire in recent years and will soon be subject to far more rigorous scrutiny following the establishment of an ombudsman and a stricter new code of conduct currently being drafted by the Competition Commission .
The new so-called Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) has been put together following the findings of the Commission’s latest report into the UK supermarket sector.
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