12 Safeway stores to be converted by December
Asda expects to have the first four of its Northern Irish stores open by mid-October, including Bangor, Coleraine, Cookstown and Ballyclare.

A£30 million refurbishment programme will get under way at the beginning of next month on Asda's 12 Safeway stores in Northern Ireland acquired from Morissons, following clearance from the Office of Fair Trading.

Asda said it was starting an intensive three-month refurbishment programme, which will mean each store is closed for four to six weeks.

George clothing will be available at nine shops, while Asda home and leisure ranges will be available at all 12 outlets.

The retailer said it was committed to retaining all 2,000 Safeway staff and would recruit an average of about 20 extra staff for each store, creating 250 jobs.

Asda also revealed it intends to continue working with all of Safeway's Northern Irish product suppliers to ensure local ranges are available in all stores, and wants to recruit more local suppliers.

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