Sunday 29th April, 2007
ASDA'S LOCAL HUBS SAVE 7 MILLION ROAD MILES
ASDA celebrates 5th anniversary of local hub scheme by reducing carbon emissions by 10,000 tonnes
Today (Monday, 30th April 2007) ASDA announced a saving of 7 million road miles through its award winning local hub initiative - delivering locally sourced products to ASDA stores across the country via a local distribution network.
The scheme which has launched ten local hubs across the UK in the last five years, will accelerate in 2007 with a further five launching before the end of the year.
Already the local distribution centres have reduced road miles by 5.2 million, as local producers pool their resources in a bid to reduce costs, cut carbon emissions and lower the overall environmental impact of food distribution.
The five new local hubs, based in Nottingham, Leicestershire, West Midlands, Cornwall and Yorkshire will reduce food miles by a further 1.6 million this year alone. Furthermore, carbon emissions will be cut by over 10,000 metric tonnes by the end of the year, equivalent to flying a jumbo jet to Australia and back ten times.
Richard Pearson, head of local sourcing for ASDA said: "The success of our local hub initiative has been phenomenal, not only does it signal a new way in which supermarkets can work with some of the smallest UK suppliers, it also reduces our overall carbon footprint, enables us to increase the amount of local products available to our customers, and makes life much simpler for hundreds of local producers."
The hub scheme is the latest in a long line of initiatives introduced by ASDA to reduce road miles. Last year ASDA announced a saving of more than 22m road miles over five years by moving more of its food and clothing distribution from road to rail. The opening of a deep sea port facility in Teesport last year cut road miles by a further 2.5 million per year, avoiding the use of Southern ports and shipping direct to the North by sea. It has also introduced double deck trailers to increase efficiency and reduce road miles.
-ends-
Notes for Editors
Hub Initiative
- The local sourcing hub is an initiative whereby small and micro-suppliers get their products into their Asda stores via a local operation that co-ordinates their deliveries, manages their administration and acts as representative for them. Signalling a change in the way supermarkets work with some of Britain’s smallest suppliers, the hub brings together the best locally produced food and drink direct to Asda supermarket shelves.
- Asda deals directly with the hubs on a day to day basis on matters such as ranging, pricing, supply, orders, invoicing and strategy. This means there is one point of contact for all communication, creating a more efficient way of working. In turn, the hubs manage their local supply base offering a known and respected face that suppliers can deal with direct. The hub handles all the suppliers’ paperwork, logistics, and receives orders and invoices on their behalf.
ASDA's Local Sourcing HubsPlumgarths - Cumbria
First local sourcing hub that ASDA launched in 2002 supplying ASDA stores in the Cumbrian region. They are producers themselves selling local sausage and eggs. The Plumgarths sausage is our most successful sausage in the chain - outselling the big brands!Now the hub operates across Lancashire too....
- Work with 23 small producers
- Deliver to 12 ASDA Stores
- 122 local products
Elveden - East Anglia
Based on the Elveden Estate in the county of Suffolk, they co-ordinate quality local producers across the counties of Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Essex. The hub was launched in June 2005.
- Work with 20 small producers
- Deliver to 14 ASDA stores (started out with 5) Peterborough, Cambridge, Stowmarket, Ipswich, Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth, Norwich, Eastgate, Tilbury, Colchester, South Woodham Ferrers, Chelmsford, Shoeburyness and Harlow.
- 50 local products into ASDA stores
Bradbury's - National Cheese Hub
Bradbury and Son Ltd. Based in Buxton, Derbyshire has over 100 years in cheese distribution. Currently trade with over 100 different cheese suppliers and allow smaller suppliers a route to the retail market. Our cutting and packing facilities will enable us to cut bulk cheeses into smaller consumer sized packs for the Asda Deli’s. Work with over 40 smaller suppliers to supply a range of cheeses that are locally sourced. This allows Asda to stock lines which wouldn’t normally be available through standard pre pack cheese lines.
Bank Farm - Kent
Launched in September 2005. Bank farm is a family business run by Doug and Steph Wanstall who also run their own successful free range egg business. ASDA stock these eggs which are laid in view of the ASDA Ashford store!
- Work with 12 small producers
- Over 80 local products
- Deliver to 10 ASDA stores - Ashford, Canterbury, Chatham, Gravesend, Broadstairs, Kingshill, Sittingbourne, Swanley, Greenhithe, Bexley Heath
AHG Management - North East
The North East hub was launched back in 2002 by Geoff Wright, with the support of the local food group - Northumbria larder - starting out supplying just one store - Bishop Auckland. Through ASDA, AHG have an annual turnover of £1.5 million. The 21 stores generate a round trip of approximately 200 miles each week, which provides a road miles saving of just over 2,500 miles per week.
- Work with 29 local suppliers
- 89 local products
- 21 ASDA stores - Ashington, Benton, Billingham, Bishop Auckland, Blyth, Boldon, Carlisle, Cramlington, Darlington, Gateshead, Gosforth, Hartlepool, Middlesborough, Peterlee, South Shields, Spennymoor, Stanley, Stockton Portrack Lane, Sunderland, Thornaby, Washington
Malcolmsons - Sussex
Launched in 2006, Malcolmsons fine foods help ASDA supply over 60 local products across Sussex from 20 local producers into six ASDA stores across the region.
Malcolm Allen - Scotland (central)
Malcolm Allan is a family meat business started in 1954. James and Gordon now run the business and in 1995 supplied ASDA with produce for the first time. Malcolm Allan now supply all Scottish stores with 25 lines. Gordon felt that the way to share his experience and knowledge of dealing with ASDA to small local suppliers was to launch Scotland’s first ASDA hub in June 2006.
The hub now supplies:
26 Products
9 Stores (Falkirk, Grangemouth, Alloa, Cumbernauld, Hamilton, Livingston, Chesser, Edinburgh, Galashiels)
7 local producers
Castell Howell - Wales
Castell Howard Foods ltd was formed in 1988 and from humble beginnings is now a multi million pound operation as a supplier and manufacturer of quality Welsh products. The ASDA hub was launched in 2002.
- 70 local products
- 27 local producers
- Supply to all ASDA stores in Wales (19) and 11 stores in the Bristol area.
Ideal Lincs - Lincolnshire
Ideal Lincs can trace its farming heritage back as early as 1752 when the Davey family ran a successful farm of more that 1300 acres, producing onions, potatoes and vining peas. Son, Paul started Ideal Lincs in 2004 - actively marketing local produce to restaurants, hotels and farm shops on behalf of smaller food suppliers. Starting out with just a few local producers, Paul has built up a significant supplier network in the Lincs, Yorkshire and Humberside area.The ASDA hub launched in June 2006.
- 86 Local products
- 11 Local Producers
- Supply to 7 ASDA stores - Hessle, Kingswood, Bilton, Mount Pleasant, Lincoln, Scunthorpe and Grimsby
SIBA - National hub for local beer
Transfresh - Nottingham (Launches 16th April)
Transfresh will be the first hub to launch in 2007 supplying local products to six ASDA stores in the Nottingham area. Set up in February 2006, by Clive Hallam and Nick Davies, Transfresh work with over 200 local suppliers, local food agencies and farmers operating from a purpose built warehouse.
- Will supply over 80 local products to ASDA stores in the Nottingham area
- Deliver to 6 ASDA stores - Arnold, Hyson Green, West Bridgford, Long Eaton, Mansfield and Sutton in Ashfield
Springfields - West Midlands -Leicestershire (Launches 9th June)
Recently formed company to become a distribution hub for local and regional food in the Midlands. The hub is the creation of the Ensor farming family based at Burton fields near Hinckley. Warwickshire is the first are to which Springfields will supply local product, if successful, there could be an extension to further counties in the Midlands.
- Start off with four ASDA Stores - Abbey Park, Nuneaton, Coventry and Leamington Spa
- 12 Local Producers
- 45 Local Products
- Key contact (David Rose)
Green Fields Farm - West Midlands – Shropshire/Staffordshire (Launches 9th June)
Green Fields Farm has been retailing locally produced food from their farm in north Shropshire for 17 years. They have built a reputation for the providing best regional food in the Shropshire and Staffordshire area – now they are supplying ASDA with a selection of their range.
- Starting in June in ASDA Shropshire 3 stores, followed by the whole of Staffordshire in September. In 2008 this will extend to a further 7 stores on the west side of Birmingham.
- 2007 ASDA: 7 stores range 150 products from 26 local producers
- 2008 ASDA: total of 14 stores growing range to towards 200 products all from local producers
Taylors - South West -Cornwall (Launches 9th June)
Taylors Regional Foods was launched in March 2006 by George and Russell Taylor as a trading subsidiary of Taypack Potatoes Ltd, (who supply Asda with 40% of their potatoes.) From five suppliers they have sourced 23 lines, a range of beers, ciders and apple juices for the imminent launch into 3 Asda stores in St Austell, Bodmin and Falmouth. Following a successful launch into Cornwall, Taylors will be launching into 7 Devon and Somerset stores with a further range of chilled, ambient and fresh produce on 9th June 2007.
Yorkshire Farmhouse - Yorkshire (Launches 8th September)
A family business, established over 25 years ago that has pioneered the supply of locally produced Yorkshire free range eggs from its farm in the Vale of York. Supplying 20 stores within the largest county, they aim to utilize the regions vast wealth of quality food and drink producers to create a truly local experience in their selected stores.
· Launch September 2007
· Supply 20 Asda stores in Yorkshire (Adel, Barnsley, Bradford, Carcroft, Chapeltown, Dewsbury, Doncaster, Glasshoughton, Halifax, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Killingbeck, Morley, Pontefract, Pudsey, Rotherham, Sheffield, Shipley, Wakefield, York)
