Increase in demand for Sainsbury’s locally sourced produce

Many locally based suppliers are experiencing growth in the level of trade with the supermarket chain which currently has 12 stores in Northern Ireland.

Portglenone Pies, Dale Farm, Mash Direct, Morrow Foods, Doherty & Gray, Irwins, and Armaghdown Creameries are among some of the companies benefitting from increased sales demand.

Sainsbury’s business with Doherty & Gray Meats has increased over 200% year on year in 2010 while Portglenone Pies has experienced an increase of over 30% , with many others seeing sales increases of over 20%.

David McMahon, Regional Buyer for Northern Ireland said, “It is great news for local suppliers that people locally are buying Northern Irish produce and indeed customers’ right across Sainsbury’s stores are getting to experience some of the great food choice we have on offer here. A number of these increases are due to ranges being offered in Sainsbury’s stores outside of Northern Ireland or products being listed as Sainsbury’s own brand products. It is a testament to the high quality produce available in Northern Ireland that we are able to show continued growth in our agri-food sector.”

Nigel Macaulay, Sainsbury’s Regional Operations Manager for Northern Ireland said, “Sainsbury’s has made a very firm commitment to Northern Ireland over the last number of years. We currently source over £250 million worth of product here, £40 million of which is sold locally from over 100 local suppliers. The increase in sales shows the recognition among Sainsbury’s customers of the quality offering available from Northern Ireland suppliers. We look forward to continuing to grow our business with local suppliers creating wider economic benefits for the region.”

Sainsbury’s has 12 stores in Northern Ireland employing in the region of 3,000 with three new stores currently in the planning process. If successful these new stores would bring the number of employees to approximately 4,000.

Sainsbury’s also announced this week that it is rolling out new signage in stores to celebrate regionally sourced food. The POS will include country flags with the message ‘A Taste of Northern Ireland’ and will feature local images and claims about the products. Despite the economic climate, customer research continues to highlight the importance of regionally sourced lines in stores in key geographical areas.