Asda's Rick Bendel says supermarkets must regain trust

LONDON - Rick Bendel, the executive director of Asda, will tell supermarkets that they must 'get their act together' to restore customer trust and confidence at the IGD conference today.

Rick Bendel
Rick Bendel

Bendel will highlight YouGov's research that shows 40% of people trust supermarkets less than they did before the economic downturn. 

He claims supermarkets must act now to overcome the negative perceptions of the industry by making goods and services more affordable and showing that they are on the side of their customers.

Bendal said:  'Consumer trust and confidence are eroded and most shoppers are sceptical about price, quality and product integrity - a hangover from what everyone feels about the financial sector. 

'Supermarkets have a duty to support families who are now worried about their finances, worried about employment and worried for their family's future and welfare.  Supermarkets can fill the void that has been left by the demise of the trusted bank.'

Bendel returned Asda to its price-focused roots earlier this year with ads that use mysupermarket.com to compare its prices with Tesco's. In September Asda stepped up its price war with Tesco by announcing 5,000 price cuts, including reductions across its entire Smart Price range of budget basics.

At this year's Labour Party Conference, Asda's corporate affairs director Paul Kelly used a series of sessions to position the company as a champion of deprived communities and smooth the way for the supermarket's expansion in the South East. 

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