New jobs as Sainsbury's expands

6:48pm Saturday 10th May 2008

DOZENS of new jobs are to be created as Sainsbury's expands its Hankridge Farm store in Taunton.

The company plans to sell a "greater range of general merchandise in order to meet customer expectations".

It has won planning permission from Taunton Deane Council to extend the floorspace by 13,907sq ft, with two-thirds of that sales space.

Sainsbury's regional development executive Christian Wakelin said the scheme would lead to a mix of full and part-time jobs.

He added that the company would try to recruit local people for the in-store positions, offering "flexible working hours and access to training and development" locally.

Mr Wakelin added: "The approved extension at the Taunton store will mean a much improved shopping experience for all our customers with a wider range of products in store.

"Sainsbury's is committed to carrying out the work as safely and efficiently as possible whilst keeping disturbance to our neighbours to a minimum and hope our customers will appreciate the improvements made."