Salad days as grower seals major £250m deal with Asda

Supermarket giant Asda has signed a new £250m deal with a family owned Lancashire agriculture business.

The agreement with Tarleton based Len Wright Salads is worth around £25m a year and will run through until 2036.

Asda says the deal will extend a relationship spanning more than 35 years and underlines its commitment to supporting British agriculture through long-term supplier partnerships.

Len Wright Salads supplies the majority of Asda's own-label prepared bagged salads, with 37 million bags distributed to its stores annually from a dedicated facility - as well as selected stir fry vegetable lines.

In a statement announcing the deal, Asda, Britain's third biggest grocer, said: “The partnership secures long-term supply in a key fresh produce category while backing continued investment in British-grown produce.

“The long-term agreement also gives Len Wright Salads the confidence to invest in its people and facilities, supporting skilled jobs in Lancashire and ensuring Asda customers can continue to access high-quality British produce for years to come.”

Jenny Cannon, senior director for produce at Leeds headquartered Asda, added: "Len Wright Salads has been a trusted partner for more than 35 years, and this long-term agreement reflects our shared commitment to British produce.

"Long term partnerships like this are a great example of how we're giving suppliers the confidence to invest for the future, helping to back British growers and build resilience across our supply chain, while ensuring a reliable supply of high-quality produce for our customers for years to come."

Ian Torley, director at Len Wright Salads, said: “We are incredibly proud to strengthen our long-standing partnership with Asda through this landmark 10 year agreement.

"Having supplied Asda for over 35 years, it is a fantastic recognition of the trust, quality and service at the heart of our relationship.

“As a grower owned British business, this long term commitment gives us the confidence to continue investing in British growing, our people, facilities and technology. We’re excited about the next chapter and what we can achieve together over the next 10 years.”

The business began growing salads in the mid 1960s on just two acres of land at Tarleton Moss, in the heart of England’s Salad Garden.

Its operation now covers more than 2,500 acres of protected and outdoor salad crops. Len Wright Salads also produces around 2.8m kgs of speciality tomatoes each year under 31 acres of glass.

In the 12 months to April 30, 2025, it saw its turnover grow to £53.1m, compared to £52.9m in the previous year.

And in its annual report, the business said: “Despite inflation factors on raw materials and overheads, increases in minimum wage, increase in national insurance and availability of staff, the company has seen a much-improved year in terms of sales.”

It added: “Further investment continues across the business to further improve efficiency and quality of both the products and the service we provide to our customers and subsequently the end consumers.”