Supermarket chain Asda said today it planned to create 2,800 new shop-floor jobs.
The group said it planned to create 800 jobs in Northern Ireland, where it recently bought 12 stores from WM Morrison.
Asda said the new jobs were part of a £10 million investment programme that would see jobs created at each of its 289 locations in England, Scotland and Wales.
Asda employs 145,000 people and, despite the relatively low pay offered in the retail sector, the company has consistently been voted one of the UK's top workplaces.
The company's low-price strategy rapidly won it market share, but Tesco's move into what were once Asda's core markets has forced Asda to refocus on service and price.
Like its rivals, Asda is continuing to expand into non-food areas such as clothing, homewares and home entertainment - which offer higher margins than the largely stagnant grocery market.