Morrisons says it will create 5,000 jobs this year

Jan 13 2009 by Henryk Zientek, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

SUPERMARKET Morrisons has flagged up plans to create 5,000 jobs this year.

The Bradford-based group, which has stores at Waterloo and Meltham in Huddersfield, is the fourth-largest supermarket in the UK with 117,000 staff across 382 stores.

Morrisons said the plans were in line with its previously-stated target of increasing selling space by 1m sq ft over three years.

The supermarket did not reveal details of the new jobs or say where they would be based.

But it said 18,000 of its staff would be working towards some form of qualifications under the company’s Fresh Food Academy scheme.

These include NVQs in retail, full apprenticeships for butchers, bakers and fishmongers and optional key skills training in maths and English.

Human resources director Norman Pickavance said: “Even in these challenging economic conditions, Morrisons is committed to hiring and training new people to keep retail as the engine room of the economy and support our continuing growth.”

Rival Sainsbury’s last week coupled news of its Christmas trading figures with the announcement that it would create 4,000 jobs this year.

And Iceland bought 51 stores from the administrators of collapsed retailer Woolworths last Friday with plans to create 2,500 jobs.