Morrisons is set to create 3,500 new jobs as it expands its home delivery service to cope with the soaring demand for food items amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The supermarket giant said they would be recruiting around 2,500 pickers and drivers, and will be hiring around 1,000 people for its distribution centres.
A number of measures will make up its home delivery expansion, which will see the retailer offer more available slots to customers, another 100 stores will be used for shop picking, and a call centre will be set up for those without access to online shopping.
They’re also in line to launch a new range of simple-to-order food parcels from March 23.
Alongside this, the supermarket has said they are also helping current staff with pledging to pay sick pay to all employees and redpolying colleagues who are vulnerable to the crisis.
David Potts, chief executive of Morrisons, said: “We expect the days, weeks and months ahead to be very testing and we are determined to do our bit.
“These measures will support our very hard-working colleagues, enable us to provide more food to more people in their homes and create opportunities for people whose jobs are affected by the coronavirus.”
The announcement follows the news that the chain last week vowed to pay small suppliers immediately to help support under-pressure cash flow.
It also comes after shoppers have been queuing outside supermarkets and have been stockpiling items, leaving products such as rice, pasta, and tinned goods out of stock due to social distancing advice from the government.
Some customers have been unable to book home delivery slots for up to two weeks.
