Asda Hiring 7,000 More Employees

Despite the creeping worldwide recession No. 2 British supermarket operator Asda said this week it would hire 7,000 people throughout the year, according to a published report. Among those slated to be recruited were 3,000 long-term unemployed people to fill existing part- and full-time job vacancies.

The Wal-Mart-owned chain plans to create 3,700 jobs by opening nine new food stores and five nonfood Asda Living stores, as well as by expanding 15 existing stores.

Further, the company said it would hire 2,000 more people at its home shopping business Asda.com, along with another 1,000 through organic growth and 120 in its pharmacies and optical centers.

Asda plans to create a total of 580,000 square feet of new store space this year.

Other U.K. supermarkets revealed similar intentions. Tesco, the No. 1 retailer in Britain, plans to follow through on a previously announced expansion and hire 10,000 new employees, Morrisons said it would hire 5,000 more people by the end of 2009 and J Sainsbury is creating as many as 4,000 jobs for its growing convenience store business.