FDI of the Month October 2020: Tesco Ireland announces 1,150 jobs in response to online demand

Pictured: Tesco Ireland chief executive, Kari Daniels

Tesco plans to hire 1,150 employees in the Republic of Ireland in the lead up to the Christmas period

UK supermarket chain Tesco is the Business & Finance FDI of the Month for October 2020. The group plans to hire 1,150 employees in the Republic of Ireland in the lead up to the Christmas period. This includes 700 temporary roles for Christmas and 450 permanent full-time roles.

Tesco Ireland operates 151 stores in the Republic of Ireland, and employs more than 13,000 staff. Following this announcement, Tesco Ireland chief executive Kari Daniels spoke highly of the company’s existing staff.

“Since the start of this pandemic, our colleagues have risen to the challenge to continue to serve our customers and communities. We are pleased to be able to add these roles at this challenging time,” she said.

Since the start of this pandemic, our colleagues have risen to the challenge to continue to serve our customers and communities.

The supermarket retailer has seen an increase in demand for online shopping services since the start of the pandemic, particularly among older age groups.

Jobs to be filled include positions in assembly and fulfilment of customer orders for online delivery, drivers to deliver them, customer assistants, plus a variety of other roles.

Ms Daniels continued: “We have doubled the capacity of our delivery slots. We have doubled sales in that area, and that’s through grocery home shopping delivering to our customers homes but also Click and Collect where customers can pre-order and then at a designated time that suits them, they can pop along to their store and pick their shopping up. As much as we keep adding vans and keep adding slots, they keep filling up.”

The announcement was welcomed by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who said, “”I would like to thank Tesco staff and all other retail workers who have kept our shops open during the Covid-19 pandemic. They are playing a vital role in ensuring people have access to essential supplies in a safe environment. These additional jobs will further improve the shopping experience for customers as well as providing an employment boost in Cork and right across the country.”

120 permanent positions will be based in Cork.