Two Northern Irish bakeries are benefiting from the relaunch of Asda’s own-label range ‘Chosen By You’.

Antrim-based Steve’s Cakes has secured a deal worth £2m a year with the retailer, supplying whoopie pies under the brand to 377 stores across the UK. Previously, the company only supplied Asda stores locally.

At the same time, Irwin’s Bakery in Co Armagh, which supplied two million branded products to Asda last year, has also notched up a sizeable new slice of business, thanks to Chosen By You, with its sliced white loaf, hotplate and morning goods ranges.

The products were identified by Asda CEO Andy Clarke as among the retailer’s best-selling lines in the relaunched 3,500-strong mid-tier Chosen By You range, which accounts for between £8bn-£9bn in sales per year.

“This is a tremendous accolade for these companies, as their success through our own-brand national relaunch of Chosen By You proves they understand what our customers need and want,” said Clarke. “It also speaks volumes for the innovative spirit that is obviously a driving force in NI’s food industry and will hopefully inspire others within this crucially important sector to follow their lead.”

Asda has invested £100m in the Chosen By You range, improving product quality through benchmarking and independent taste testing by more than 40,000 consumers throughout the UK.

>>Asda own-label products now Chosen By You