Leading clothes retailer George said today (31 January 2007) that sales of big black support pants had gone through the roof thanks to movie star Sienna Miller stepping out in a pair after a swanky party in New York. Sales of George's own version, which is virtually identical, were up a massive 230% when compared to this time last week for the £6 black control pants. Generous designers at George were also offering a free pair to anyone called Sienna. All customers have to do is to bring in their birth certificate to their nearest George store and collect a pair gratis. more Posted by AsdaPressRelease on 31 January 2007, 00:00

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To mark Salt Awareness Week, ASDA announced today that it will hit the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) salt reduction targets across all its own label food categories within the next year – nearly three years ahead of the 2010 deadline set by the FSA.

In March 2006, the FSA set voluntary salt reduction targets to encourage food manufacturers and retailers to cut the amount of salt across the 85 food categories that contribute most significantly towards people’s dietary salt intake.

The aim of introducing these targets was to help bring down the average UK salt intake to no more than 6g a day by 2010.

To achieve this goal, ASDA has pursued an intensive programme of product reformulation to dramatically cut the amount of salt in its products but without compromising on taste and integrity.

more Posted by AsdaPressRelease on 30 January 2007, 00:00

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ASDA today (Monday 29th January 2007) announced the launch of its latest dotcom business – ASDA Electricals.

Accessed via asda.com, the site includes thousands of new products ranging from top of the range plasma and LCD TVs to energy efficient washing machines and fridge freezers.

The online electrical market is currently worth £1.9bn, but is growing at a rate of 30% each year. ASDA is aiming to capture a 5% slice of it by 2012.

more Posted by AsdaPressRelease on 29 January 2007, 00:00

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Asda has become the first supermarket to insist that all of its own-brand loo roll must be produced from well managed forests.

From now on, the fibres used in its Shades brand must come from commercial woodlands overseen by conservation body the Forestry Stewardship Council.

The strict new rules will ensure that for every tree felled to make the paper, at least one other tree – and usually more – is planted to redress the loss to the planet.

more Posted by AsdaPressRelease on 29 January 2007, 00:00

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Today, ASDA heralded a successful end to the 2006 financial year by giving 123,000 store and depot colleagues a share of £15 million worth of annual performance-related bonus.

The bonus payments will be paid in colleagues’ February pay packet and will be shared by all colleagues with more than six months’ service working in ASDA’s 335 stores and 24 depots throughout the UK and Northern Ireland.

The annual performance-related bonus scheme was introduced in 2000 after ASDA became part of Wal-Mart and, over the first seven years of the scheme, it has paid store and depot colleagues more than £85 million in bonus payments.

more Posted by AsdaPressRelease on 25 January 2007, 00:00

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Customers at ASDA will be able to pick up Britain’s lowest priced DVD player when it lands in stores on Thursday (25th January 2007) and still get change from a tenner.

The price of the Durabrand DVD player, previously on sale at £17.84, will drop to a staggering £9 from 6am tomorrow morning meaning customers will, for the first time, be able to buy a DVD player for less than the average price of a new release DVD.

There will be more than 80,000 of the DVD players hitting shelves and it will be on sale at every one of ASDA’s 316 stores and seven ASDA Living stores throughout the UK and Northern Ireland.

more Posted by AsdaPressRelease on 24 January 2007, 00:00

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Leading clothing retailer, George, announced today (19 January 2007) that it has appointed Fiona Lambert, women’s wear product director at Next, as brand director, while at the same time promoting current trading director, Mark Daynes, to chief operating officer. He re-joined the business in March last year (2006).

Fiona worked with George Davies, founder of the brand, when George was in its infancy 16 years ago. Mark joined in 1997 during the brand’s explosive growth phase. Both were instrumental in creating the value fashion proposition as we know it today.

The creation of both roles is a significant step change to the way the George business is managed and is designed to further establish the retailer’s credentials as the value fashion retailer in the UK.

more Posted by AsdaPressRelease on 19 January 2007, 00:00

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ASDA today (17 January 2007) announced that it would become the first clothing retailer in the UK to drop the recommended wash instructions on all items of George clothing from 40 degrees to 30 degrees starting from early 2007.

The move will see 237 million garments, the amount George sells on an annual basis, with new lower temperature recommended wash labels.

From March 2007 customers will begin to see the new labels which, if followed, could bring about significant energy and financial savings.

more Posted by AsdaPressRelease on 17 January 2007, 00:00

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ASDA is expecting a big increase in the number of older people applying for jobs following the release of the latest Rocky Balboa film this weekend.

Employment experts are predicting that the new movie, which shows Rocky coming out of retirement once again, will also encourage hundreds of retired people to get back into the employment market .

The supermarket is already the biggest private-sector employer of older people in the UK, with over 30,000 employees aged over 50 years. Many are over 80-years old.

more Posted by AsdaPressRelease on 15 January 2007, 00:00

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Customers at George will be able to pick up Britain’s lowest priced suit when it lands in stores this week and still get change from £20.

The two piece suit normally sells for £19 for the jacket and £6 for the trousers but kind-hearted bosses have decided to throw the trousers in free, for a week, to celebrate the move into Smartprice for George.

The suit comes with a good pedigree. George’s master tailor used to make bespoke suits for peers in the Houses of Parliament, meaning that the £19 suit doesn’t come at the expense of good tailoring.

more Posted by AsdaPressRelease on 15 January 2007, 00:00

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Darts is set to overtake fishing as one of the nation’s most popular participation sports according to figures released today by ASDA.

Sales of darts and dartboards have leapt by a staggering 104% in the last two weeks, with shoppers in Portsmouth pointing the way.

Sports buyer Mat Lowery said: “With two world championships now taking place at the start of the year, darts is reaching millions more people.

more Posted by AsdaPressRelease on 14 January 2007, 00:00

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ASDA today (Thursday 11 January) announced that it would be cutting fuel prices from tonight, setting new lower pump prices at all of its 167 petrol stations across Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

ASDA’s second price cut in a week will see diesel fall to 87.9 pence per litre (ppl) at all its forecourts, with unleaded capped at 84.9 ppl. The latest cut sees diesel pump prices fall by two pence per litre reaching their lowest level in 18 months (summer 2005), and unleaded fall by one pence per litre.

ASDA Trading Director, Andy Brem, said: “The cost of fuel has continued to drop in early January in response to weak demand, with crude oil now trading around $55 a barrel down from a high of over $60 in December.

more Posted by AsdaPressRelease on 11 January 2007, 00:00

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ASDA announced today (Wednesday, 10 January 2007) it has awarded all of its TV, radio and press advertising account to Fallon following a two-way creative pitch.

The pitch, which took place in the run up to Christmas, also included the incumbent agency Publicis.

Both agencies were asked to demonstrate ‘a passion for ASDA’s business, creativity and ideas for future ad campaigns’.

more Posted by AsdaPressRelease on 10 January 2007, 00:00

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Asda has unveiled its latest high-tech method for improving the shelf life of potatoes and carrots – good old fashioned mud.

It has started selling potatoes and carrots still covered with mud from the farmer’s field after experts discovered it can make each veg last TWICE as long in your home.

The mud acts as a natural preservative, preventing light from reaching the surface of the veg and helping to keep it cool. Leaving the veg unwashed also cuts production costs, making muddy potatoes and carrots up to a THIRD cheaper for customers. And prolonging the length of time they remain in good condition in the home will save everyone MILLIONS of pounds as well as reducing waste and water use substantially.

more Posted by AsdaPressRelease on 10 January 2007, 00:00

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ASDA today (Friday, 05 January 2007) announced it would be slashing fuel at all of its 167 petrol stations across Great Britain and Northern Ireland from today.

ASDA’s new lower fuel prices will see diesel fall by 1.5p to 89.9 pence per litre (ppl) at all its forecourts, while unleaded will be capped at 85.9 ppl, a reduction of 0.2 ppl.

The latest cut sees diesel pump prices fall to their lowest level in more than a year (December 2005)

more Posted by AsdaPressRelease on 05 January 2007, 00:00

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ASDA announced today (4 January 2007) that it had a successful Christmas, exceeding expectations, with a record trading day on 22 December.

“With customer numbers up, the re-invigoration of our food business with better quality produce, more premium and organic ranges and the widest choice of local products, this proved to be the perfect Christmas present for everyone that shopped with us over the festive period,” said Andy Bond, president and CEO of ASDA.

more Posted by AsdaPressRelease on 04 January 2007, 00:00

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ASDA today (Monday 1st January 2007) launched a fresh assault on the £9bn home furnishings market with its latest dot com venture.

Available via asda.com, the new furniture website promises to bring George style and value to the nation’s homes for the first time. The supermarket confirmed it is aiming to create a £500m a year business, and said it is determined to mount a serious challenge to traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ furniture retailers.

more Posted by AsdaPressRelease on 01 January 2007, 00:00

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