Job creation at Asda with £500m investment
ASDA has pledged to invest more than £500m in a store and depot expansion programme that is set to create up to 5,000 jobs.
The Leeds-headquartered supermarket chain said it wanted to open 25 new stores and three new depots in 2012, as well as extending or refurbishing 43 of its existing stores.
Andy Clarke, president and chief executive of Asda, said: “I am delighted to be able to start 2012 on such a positive note, doing what we do best – creating new jobs, working with new communities and bringing Asda’s low prices to families who need the value we can bring.
“I look forward to seeing these new stores and depots open for business and welcoming new colleagues and customers to our team.”
The new stores programme will add more than 600,000 sq ft of selling space through superstores, small format supermarkets and the Asda Living concept.
A new depot in Rochdale will service chilled and frozen products to stores along the M62 corridor, while a replacement depot in Scotland will increase capacity for delivery of groceries to stores in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
An investment in Yorkshire will upgrade a depot that originally formed part of the Netto chain into a state-of-the-art ‘cross dock’ allowing products to be shipped in and out in minimal time.
Last year Asda, part of Walmart, acquired 194 Netto stores in a £778m deal to give it further access into the small grocery store sector.
Meanwhile, five firms are lining up bids for Deeside frozen foods retailer Iceland, according to a report.
Bradford-based supermarket chain Morrisons is one of the companies which were active in a “data room” accessing Iceland’s books last week, according to The Independent on Sunday.
