Impressive early results.

Procurement and marketing company Well-Pict European are reporting impressive early results from their attempts to recruit more UK growers to their fold for this season and beyond. The campaign began in early 2003, and to this date has delivered nearly twenty new growers supplying their soft fruit to the company.

Local boost
They are seeing success from all parts of the country, and momentum us undoubtedly increasing as a result of growers speaking to each other. The supply of local produce through AMS to ASDA is seeing some of the most significant growth.

Kent is seeing a volume increase of nearly treble levels in 2002; this is probably due to the combination of increased sales borne from growers dealing directly within certain large stores within the county and the high profile "Produced in Kent" marketing campaign by kent County Council to support local produce.

Scotland is another region where the growers have substantially increased their combined tonnage compared to last yearl nearly 1,500 tonf strawberry will be produced for Well-Pict European customers during 2003, all programmed to specific requirements.

In Cornwall, the season started with local deliveries a week earlier than last year and with the help and co-ordination from grower Neil Hosking managing to increase the Cornish grower group, ASDA Plymouth were supplied directly for the first time with berries, joining the other main stores in Bodmin, St Austell and Falmount. All stores reports frowth of up to 47% increase in sales on last year.

The Gloucester area, having recruited new grower Tony Blewitt at Newent, started to supply direectly to the ASDA Gloucester store, only ten miles away. On several occasions he's had to make extra deliveries to fulfill the demands of shoppers buying all his fruit! The poctorial punnet label has a drawing of Gloucester cathedral; this personal touch was very well received within the local community.

In Yorkshire this has been their first season for local deliveries, encompassing four stores through new Well-Pict grower Bielby Berries and existing grower Chris Hoggard. Sales here have increased by 55%. Feedback from Senior ASDA management, who shop in the stores themselves, was extremely positive. There are already plans to increase direct supply to 8 stores in this region for 2004.

Down in the West Country, they have also started in their first year on locals to 6 stores and, as with Yorkshire, sales year on year have shown dramatic increases. On top of the increased tonnages from existing growers in this particular area, Well-Pict European have also added to their supplier base with the recruitment of more growers.

Technical Director David Johnston said "we were determined to address our UK soft fruit shortage in a positive and focussed way at the start of this year, and seeing these early numbesr is greatly encouraging. having professional, committed growers within our supply portfolio is a major asset for Well-Pict European, and we hope to continue to strengthen our grower base."

Summer 2003