SUPERMARKET chain Asda plans to create 10,000 jobs as part of a massive recruitment drive across all its stores.

The chain, which has 244 stores, plans to add between 30 and 50 staff at each of its outlets.

It will mean a massive boost for employment in the North-East.

In the Tees Valley alone, the group has stores in Darlington, Stockton, Billingham, Thornaby, Middlesbrough and Hartlepool.

Asda already employs more than 105,000 nationwide, 75 per cent of them working part-time.

The additional jobs come just months after the group created 5,000 jobs with a series of 13 new store openings, including resiting its Peterlee branch which employs 100.

Asda said at the beginning of last year that it planned to create more than 27,000 jobs during the next five years. This batch of 10,000 should be filled in the coming year.

The group said the expansion followed a strong sales performance in recent months and a decision to increase investment in services.

It plans to take the recruitment drive to shoppers by introducing a series of in-store job adverts.

Even shelf labels and product stickers are likely to promote the new opportunities in the stores.

Asda director David Smith, said: "Wal-Mart's continued investment in the UK brings more good news for Asda customers and a boost for employment prospects in the stores."

Asda was taken over by US US company Wal-Mart two years ago.

Wal-Mart is the world's biggest supermarket chain with more than 4,000 stores worldwide, employing more than one million workers across the globe with annual sales of £117bn.

The group is owned by the world's richest man, Robson Walton, who has amassed a fortune of £45bn, £8bn more than former world's richest man, Microsoft boss Bill Gates.