Company news
Sainsbury's confirms commitment to Wales at the Royal Welsh Show
July 19, 2010
- Sainsbury's to open two more supermarkets before summer 2011 creating over 400 new jobs
- Over £100 million of Welsh products sourced annually
Neil Sachdev, Sainsbury's commercial director, today confirmed Sainsbury's continued commitment to Wales at The Royal Welsh Show. During the Show Sainsbury's highlighted its exciting expansion plans for Wales and also its commitment to sourcing the very best Welsh produce.
Sainsbury's expansion plans mean it will open a further two supermarkets in Wales before summer 2011 creating over 400 new full and part-time jobs. The new stores will build upon Sainsbury's existing 18 stores in Wales, the latest of which was a new ‘Local' that opened in March in the St Mary's area of Cardiff creating 23 new jobs.
Every year Sainsbury's sources over £100 million of Welsh products from 1,000 suppliers with around 300 Welsh products available at Sainsbury's stores across Britain. Sainsbury's also sells over 85 branded products sourced from Welsh products in its stores.
Sainsbury's commercial director, Neil Sachdev, said: "Wales is world famous for the quality of its food and drink and these new stores will allow us to continue to highlight the very best in Welsh produce.
New stores also mean new opportunities: we already employ over 3,300 people in Wales and we hope to continue with our exciting expansion plans which will help us to create even more new jobs over the next few years."
Carwyn Jones, First Minister of Wales, said: "Local food sourcing is a priority for the Welsh Assembly Government and we have recently launched our Food Strategy for Wales for consultation. It's pleasing to hear that Sainsbury's is looking to strengthen its presence here as well as being committed to stocking Welsh produce in their stores."
As well as supporting Welsh producers and creating new jobs Sainsbury's Active Kids scheme donated £355,469 worth of sports, activity and cooking equipment and experiences to schools across Wales.
All of Sainsbury's Welsh farmers are part of the Sainsbury's Dairy Development Group through which they receive an additional premium per litre for good agricultural practice. Through the carbon footprinting initiative of the Development Group, one of the farmers was able to enjoy savings of around £9000 year-on-year due to improving efficiencies.
Enquiries
For further information please contact the Tom Parker on 0207 695 7295. To find out the latest from Sainsbury's you can also follow J Sainsbury plc on Twitter.
Notes to editors
Sainsbury's currently has 18 stores in Wales - 15 supermarkets and three convenience stores. The two new Sainsbury's stores are Newport - 200 jobs and Thornhill - 200 jobs.
Sainsbury's sources fresh lamb from over 2,000 farms in Wales and all the fresh lamb in its Welsh stores is now locally sourced and produced by the Young Welsh Farmers Club.
Sainsbury's also sources beef from 450 farms in Wales.
Sainsbury's five Corporate Responsibility values are: "Best for food and health", "Sourcing with Integrity", "Respect for the Environment", "Making a Positive Difference to the Community" and "A Great Place to Work"
Our strong ethical approach has been at the heart of our business, ever since we opened our first store back in 1869. Our five values provide the framework for how we do business at Sainsbury's. They guide us in everything we do - from key business decisions to day-today activities.
In the current economic climate our values remain just as relevant. Although customers are increasingly price-conscious, ethical and environmental issues remain important for them.
We believe that by considering the wider social, environmental and economic impacts of our business, we are able to meet our customers' expectations by acting responsibly on their behalf. This ultimately delivers long-term shareholder value by securing our future ability to grow as a profitable business.
