ASDA in Hounslow has turned over one fifth of its shelves to ethnic foods to become the first 'World Food' supermarket in the UK.

Ten aisles at the town centre store will now stock Asian, Polish, Afro-Caribbean, Irish, Greek and Turkish delicacies – more than double the amount previously set aside for international foods.

The new-look supermarket was launched with an international dance show on Tuesday where Asian Bhangra, Polish folk and Turkish belly dancers strutted their stuff.

The launch attracted a lot of attention as potential customers checked out the new ranges on offer.

Suresh Pathan, who was shopping with his wife, said: “It is great to get more of the spices and foods we need here. It's not got quite as much as you can get in an Indian supermarket but it should make things easier for us.”

Terri Dawkins, who lives in Spring Grove Road, said: “I don't mind a curry now and again and this razzmatazz is all quite exciting. I don't think I'll be doing too much ethnic shopping but, as long as they've still got all the normal bits and pieces I need I'll be happy.”

The move by Asda comes on the back of a 42% increase in ethnic food sales last year and, if the Hounslow experiment is successful, similar stores could be opened in multicultural areas across the UK.

Hounslow store manager, Sarah Smith, said: ““I’m delighted that our store’s new world food range will reflect Hounslow’s proud cultural diversity, as it will mean that shopping with Asda remains relevant for all our customers, regardless of background.

“Being the first Asda store to stock such a world food range enables us to offer our customers the same great product range and prices as you get in other Asda stores but with an even more diverse choice and value too.”