Asda is answering back its critics by starting a loyalty scheme to benefit the small businesses it competes with.

Although the full details haven't been released yet, the pilot project in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, will "reward" people who shop at both local stores and the soon-to-be-opened Asda supermarket.

It follows complaints from local shops that Asda was opening a new store in the town, which already has a Tesco supermarket. Shopkeepers feared they would be left with slim pickings from a population of 4,000.