The Asda supermarket chain will create 20 jobs in Oxfordshire.

The company said the jobs would be made at its Wheatley store, as part of plans to create 10,000 jobs during 2002. The Leeds-based group, owned by US shopping giant Wal-Mart, said it would hire full and part-time workers, bringing the national headcount to 130,000.

New shops will be opened, and a series of speciality divisions, such as pharmacies, will also be introduced within larger stores.

It is unclear whether Oxfordshire would figure in any new developments.

During the festive season, Asda said like-for-like growth, across stores opened for more than 12 months, was in the "low teens" per cent.

In 2001, Asda created 16,000 jobs, more than three times the number anticipated.