Supermarket giant Tesco has announced that it will create 20,000 new jobs in the UK over the next two years.
The jobs will be created through a major investment programme in customer service, refreshing existing stores and opening new ones.
Starting immediately, Tesco said it will invest significantly in additional staff hours and training to boost the customer experience—including on fresh produce, fresh meat, bakery and counter services.
Hundreds of existing stores will be refreshed, which will include improvements made to space, layout and the overall shopping experience. New stores will also be opened.
In recruiting for its 20,000 new posts, Tesco said it will focus on providing opportunity to young people currently unemployed. It is also planning to expand its apprenticeship programme to provide 10,000 apprenticeships, with a significant proportion of those for new starters.
Tesco said the announcements are the first stage in its planned new investment in the UK business.
Welcoming the announcement of jobs and investment, prime minister David Cameron said: "This is a massive confidence boost for the UK economy. Tesco is one of the world's leading companies and the biggest private sector employer in this country. Their commitment to creating jobs and opportunities for young people at what is a difficult time for the economy is fantastic news for the UK as a whole and for those people they will help into work."
Tesco’s UK CEO Richard Brasher said: "In unprecedented economic conditions like these, major businesses have a big responsibility to step forward, invest and create jobs. Today's announcement is a huge shot in the arm for the UK economy.
"At the core of this investment is our determination to deliver the best shopping experience for our customers, bar none. We will invest in more staff on the sales floor at busy times, greater expertise and help in the crucial areas of fresh food, and enhanced quality and service across our stores at all times. To deliver this we're going to strengthen our customer service team—20,000 more staff across our stores over the next two years.”
Brasher concluded: “With youth unemployment at record levels, we're determined to target many of our new jobs at young people currently out of work—so that in this difficult jobs market those who need help the most will get it. Our investment is a win-win for customers, unemployed young people and the UK economy as a whole."
Tesco is the country's largest private sector employer with over 290,000 staff—70,000 of whom are under the age of 25. The company operates a total of 2,715 stores across the UK.
