Superstore creates hundreds of new jobs RECRUITING has started for 250 retail jobs which are being created on the former Bolton Wanderers site in Manchester Road.

The Kingfisher Group is investing more than £7 million in its tenth Big W store -- due to open on Friday, August 17.

Retail

There will be 80,000 sq ft of retail space and more than 57,000 product lines drawn from other retailers within the Group, such as Woolworths, B&Q, Comet, Superdrug and Peacocks, the clothing company.

The first Big W store was launched in Edinburgh in June, 1999 and others have followed in Glasgow, Stockton, Bradford, Rotherham, Coventry, Bristol and Redruth.

Tamworth is due to open before Bolton and more are planned this year in Newark, Norwich and Belfast.

The company plans to have more than 50 stores all over the UK by 2005.

Big W is working on its recruitment programme in conjunction with Bolton Job Centre.

Mr Bob Hetherington, Big W's Managing Director, said: "In terms of new employees, we will be looking for people of all ages and every new employee will go through a thorough training process which will involve team-building exercises, merchandising and product knowledge projects."

He added: "Continuous training is an important part of our business.

Slogan

"In a number of our stores we even have part-time staff in their 60s and 70s working towards NVQ levels 2 and 3 Customer Service and Warehouse Management."

Mr Hetherington said the company's low price approach -- the slogan is "a lot for not a lot" -- was supported by a buying strategy which enabled big savings to be passed on directly to customers.

Major promotions at existing stores have featured appearances by children's characters such as Bob the Builder and pop stars including Westlife, Ronan Keating and Louise.