Northern Irish butchery business expands in UK with Asda

A successful partnership between supermarket giant Asda in Northern Ireland and McGee's Butchers is set to be rolled out to more stores across the UK. McGee's is owned by Karro, the leading UK pork processor. McGee's butchery concessions, which now feature in all 16 of the retailer's shops in Northern Ireland, were recently trialled at two of the supermarket's Scottish stores where they recorded an eight- fold increase in butcher counter sales. Based on customer response, Asda has agreed to extend the trial roll-out of the McGee's concessions across a number of its stores inEngland, Scotland and Wales. "The modern look and feel of the McGee's concessions, coupled with the quality, range, offers and freshness of products available, haveensured that Asda customers are attracted to the in-store counters," says David O'Neill, account director at Karro Food Group, the owner of McGee's. "Additionally the expertise and knowledge of our trained butchers has led to really positive responses from customers and increased sales. Karro is excited about the future for McGee's within Asda and we look forward to further openings coming soon." McGee's initially started in Asda in its west Belfast supermarket in 2009 and now employs 135 staff. Michael McCallion, Asda's head of local sourcing for Northern Ireland and Scotland, adds: "We have been delighted with the response and demand for McGee's at our stores throughout Northern Ireland and also during the recent trials in Livingston and Bearsden. "Our aim was to introduce the traditional butchery ethos of service and expertise as part of the supermarket shop and this has been a huge hit with our customers. "We look forward to the successful roll out of the concept over the coming months and will welcome all feedback from our customers."