Sainsbury's to hire 10,000 workers

SAINSBURY'S, the UK's second biggest supermarket chain, is planning to hire an extra 10,000 workers over the current year. The full and part-time positions will be created by extending and refurbishing stores as well as opening new outlets.

Roles range from butchers and check-out operators to sales assistants for the Jeff & Co clothing line. Staff will also be hired to work in distribution depots.

Sainsbury's is overhauling its store portfolio as part of an ongoing shake-up of the business, and director of retail human resources Nigel Broome said the recruitment drive was an 'essential' part of its plans.

Sainsbury's recently reported a surge in festive trading, with like-for-like sales excluding petrol up 6.8% in the six weeks to 5 January. Its figures were in line with the other big players in the sector although rival Asda, which does not reveal exact figures, said its festive like-for-like sales were 'in the low teens'.

Sainsbury's, which currently employs 142,000 people, announced last May plans to hire 6,000 staff during the financial year to May 2002. The spokesman said around 5,000 people had been employed since then, and 1,000 of the jobs announced today were part of the first recruitment drive.

The move comes just two weeks after Asda, owned by US behemoth Wal-Mart, said it too was looking to recruit 10,000 people during 2002.