SUPERMARKET group Asda today announced plans to recruit nearly 3,000 staff across the UK.
Leeds-based Asda, which has a store on Bradford Road in Huddersfield, made the move as parent company Wal-Mart reported third- quarter results.
Asda will create 800 jobs in Northern Ireland following its takeover of 12 stores from Morrisons.
UK-wide, each of the firm's 289 stores will take on an average of seven new employees.
Asda will also open four more stores in Northern Ireland and five more in England and Wales over the next 10 days - including its largest-ever Asda Wal-Mart Supercentre in Milton Keynes.
Asda said the new jobs represented a £10m investment by the company.
Andy Clarke, Asda's retail director, said: "We're thrilled with the reaction to our stores in Northern Ireland and are delighted to provide this additional jobs boost.
"We're committed to delivering the best service we can to our customers this Christmas and are putting more colleagues on the shopfloor, where they really make a difference."
Earlier this year, figures showed that Asda was holding off Sainsbury's in the battle for second spot in the grocery market.
Market research group TNS Superpanel put Asda's share at 16.7% in the 12 weeks to August 14, compared with Sainsbury's at 15.7%.
Tesco is still way out in front at 30.5%. after improving its position from 28.1% in the same period a year earlier.
