Trend for online shopping drives job creation in Erith

Recruitment has started for 650 jobs being created at Tesco’s new grocery home delivery centre in Erith. In a move to help tackle local unemployment, the retailer has committed more than 100 of those positions to local people who’ve been out of work for more than six months. The centre will also mean an improved home delivery service for thousands of grocery online shoppers in the area, as more people move to order their food online.

This ‘Regeneration Partnership’ in Erith follows similar schemes in over 50 Tesco stores, which have helped more than 5,500 people back to work. Tesco is working with Bexley Council and Job Centre Plus to ensure that the positions go to help local people who’ve struggled to find employment, and candidates will receive eight weeks pre-employment training to support their return to work. This is the first Regeneration Partnership programme in a home delivery centre.

Erith and Thamesmead MP Teresa Pearce said: “I am really pleased that Tesco will be opening their Dot Com Centre in Erith later this year. The creation of 650 jobs will inject new life into the community after what has been a very difficult few years. The Tesco Regeneration Partnership Programme is an excellent way to incentivise people to apply for vacancies after experiencing long-term unemployment.”

The new centre will also mean improved home delivery service for thousands of online customers in South East London and North West Kent. It is the sixth such facility Tesco has opened around London in the past seven years. The new centre in Erith will help form a ring of dedicated home delivery centres around London, which is leading the trend towards grocery shopping online.

Simon Belsham, Managing Director for Grocery Home Shopping, Dot Com, said: “More and more of our customers are using their computers, tablets and smart phones to shop for groceries. This new centre will allow us to expand our reach to serve our growing online customer base and offer them the best possible service.

“We are delighted it will create hundreds of new jobs for Erith, particularly for those who have been out of work for a long time. Our Tesco Regeneration Partnership programme has already helped more than 5,500 people back to work, and we’re really pleased to run the first in a home delivery centre here in Erith.”

Councillor Teresa O’Neill, Leader of Bexley Council, said: “I am delighted that Tesco has chosen to build its centre in Erith, bringing new investment and jobs to the borough.

“We’ve worked closely with Tesco to make sure that as many as possible of the jobs at the centre go to local people. Our Resources Plus service will be working to give local people the best possible chance of filling the vacancies, which will mean that the local community gets the maximum possible benefit from the company’s investment.”

Notes to editors:

* The 650 full and part time jobs will include personal shoppers, team managers, drivers and support personnel.
* Recruitment has started and details of how to apply can be found at http://stores.tesco-careers.com (search for Erith) or by contacting the hotline 02030453009, quoting Tesco Helpline.
* Other grocery home delivery centres have opened in Croydon, Enfield, Crawley, Greenford and Aylesford.
* The Erith facility follows the high-tech model launched recently in Crawley, featuring the latest technology and systems available to support Tesco’s home grocery delivery business (see photo below).
* Erith Dotcom Centre is due to open on 28th October 2013, and when fitted out will look like the centre in Crawley which opened earlier this year, seen here.