Sunday 14th May, 2006
More Than 15 Local Shops Sign-Up To ASDA's Unique Loyalty Scheme
ASDA can today confirm that 15 local businesses in Huntly have agreed to join its unique 'COLLECT AND SAVE SCHEM£' in the town, with the backing of the Huntly Business Association and the Aberdeenshire Town Partnership.
This announcement comes just hours to go before the new store opens (Monday 15th May) and the scheme is officially launched in Huntly tomorrow.
This ground-breaking initiative will directly benefit many local traders, from butchers to bakers; florists, pharmacies and even small cafes in the area who will all be part of the new loyalty scheme.
Far from taking business away from the area, the new ASDA store could attract many more customers to Huntly, some from 40 miles away. Thanks to the new scheme, these new customers will also spend money in local shops in the town centre, proving that supermarkets can work hand-in-hand with local retailers when they come to town.
J&I Smith Bakers in Huntly are just one of the local businesses who have signed up to the 'COLLECT AND SAVE SCHEM£'. As one of the members of the new initiative, the Huntly bakery hope to grow their sales even further with ASDA, by selling 15 of their bakery products in the new Huntly store.
Commercial Manager for J&I Smith Bakers, Roger Fillingham commented, "We think the scheme is an excellent idea. The opening of the new ASDA store will encourage shoppers to come from further afield who would not ordinarily come to Huntly. We're all very excited - this has got to be a good thing for all of us."
Mark Menzies, local community manager for ASDA said, "We've been overwhelmed with the response from local shops and we can't wait to get the scheme up and running next week. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has been involved in pulling the scheme together and to everyone in Huntly for their support."
The new ASDA store in Huntly will open at 10am on Monday 15th May.
Notes for Editors
The scheme will work as follows:
- COLLECT & SAV£ stickers will be displayed in participating local retailers’ windows
- Local shoppers pick up their COLLECT & SAV£ wallet from participating retailers or from ASDA Huntly
- When shoppers make a purchase from a participating retailer or ASDA Huntly their receipt will be stamped and returned for safe keeping in their COLLECT & SAV£ wallet
- When shoppers spend £25 in a local retailer and £25 in ASDA within a four week period, they simply present their wallet, with the stamped receipts to the combined value, to a colleague at the ASDA Services Desk
- The shopper will then be presented with a FREE £5 GEORGE voucher and the next month’s COLLECT & SAV£ wallet
The scheme builds on a speech made by Wal-Mart President & CEO Lee Scott in Chicago last month. In the speech he promised that Wal-Mart would do more to support small businesses around its US stores with a renewed commitment to be a community partner. (http://www.walmartfacts.com/newsdesk/article.aspx?id=1758).
Further Information:
Sian Horner, 0113 241 7829
Out of hours, 0113 243 5435
One hundred and twenty new jobs have been created at the new Asda Huntly store, which opens on May 15th with an investment of £7 million.
ASDA & Local Communities
- ASDA's business is not just about bricks and mortar - its colleagues are passionate about where they live. Most are local residents themselves who want to play a positive role in their local community.
- From building relationships with MPs and schools, through to working with local businesses and charities, all ASDA stores are ‘Stores of the Community’. ASDA was pleased to receive the IGD’s Nestlé Social Commitment Award in recognition of this.
- Last year it raised more than £4.8m for local communities and a further £1.8m for the Tsunami appeal. It also supplied 3,500 tents to the Kashmiri earthquake appeal in October 2005, providing much needed shelter for thousands of families made homeless as a result of the disaster.
- ASDA's Community Programme, plus national events, Tickled Pink which raises money for Breast Cancer charities and BBC Children In Need, together have seen it raise more than £14 million since it became part of Wal-Mart in 1999.
- Community support is also provided for local suppliers. ASDA now sells 3,000 local products, which our colleagues helped to source, from 250 truly local suppliers - many of which have less than 20 employees. In the last two years it has launched the following ranges: Best of Cornwall, Best of the West Country, Best of the Lakes (Plumgarths Food Hub), Scotland's Best, Best of Wales, Yorkshire's Best, Best of the North East, Best of East Anglia, Best of Kent and Best of Lancashire.
- In January 2005 ASDA introduced 48 brand new locally sourced products from 11 new suppliers in the North East of Scotland making the ‘Scotland’s Best’ range more local than ever with all products selected on a store-by-store basis.
Local Retailers signed up so far to the COLLECT AND SAV£ scheme are:
J&I Smith Bakers
Gordon Rhind Butchers
Largue Pharmacy
The Larder
'Discovery' card shop
Autospares of Huntly
Peter Watt & Sons
Mad About Cards
Scott The Butcher
The Plantation
Square Deal
Barrow Florists
Cruickshanks (household store)
R,A and J Bruce (papershop)
