BARGAIN clothing retailer Peacock plans to create more than 1,000 jobs by next March as it expands across the UK.

The group, which runs the Peacocks chain and bought Bon Marche last summer, said it plans to open 60 stores under the two brands.

With a mix of full-time and part-time staff, the expansion would create the equivalent of 900 full-time jobs across the UK, the company said.

Expansion, including the Bon Marche acquisition, drove the group's sales up 47 per cent to £96.6m in the year to March 31 and lifted pre-tax profits 27 per cent to £20.3m.