Petrol price drop as Asda arrives

Hundreds of eager shoppers queued outside the new store on Portadown’s Bridge Street, eager to be part of the opening event. Drivers also queued at the new forecourt, delighted to be among the first to save on their fuel fill-up.

Response to the new store has been phenomenal with over 11,000 applications for the 450 jobs on offer. In addition to the full food and non-food ranges, Portadown is the first Asda supermarket in NI to offer its ‘Click & Collect’ service, allowing shoppers to order online and collect their shopping from the store when it best suits them.

The Portadown store is also the ninth in NI to sell petrol, which is widely regarded as one of the main money-saving benefits for the people of the area.

Asda is famous for being the first supermarket to reduce the price of fuel, and this was evident with opening prices of 129.7ppl for petrol and 136.7ppl for diesel at its Portadown store. This is in sharp contrast to current fuel prices in Portadown, which average at 134.9ppl for petrol and 141.9ppl for diesel.

Receiving the golden ‘seal of approval’ from Mary Peters, was the perfect endorsement for the new supermarket. Dame Mary, who opened the store, commented: “I’m really proud of this town and its people and consider it to be a very important part of my past. So I’m delighted to be here with Asda today and to play my part in what I consider to be an investment in the future of Portadown.

“This represents a great boost for the area, creating much needed jobs, attracting more shoppers into the town, and offering local families the choice, quality and value they need during these tough economic times.”

Store manager Robert Ryans, himself a Portadown native, added: “What a fantastic way to celebrate our arrival in Portadown! Mary Peters is an absolute legend and we will do everything possible to live up to her spirit of fairness, honesty, and community respect.

“I thank everyone who has helped us in the run up to today, particularly our great team of colleagues who are the face of Asda and will help us deliver the value and service which local people really want.”