Computer firm Tiny is creating scores of jobs in Oxfordshire as it opens a series of new stores.

Up to ten new outlets will be opened in Oxfordshire and Berkshire stores belonging to electrical retailer Powerhouse, with about 50 full and part-time staff being hired.

One of the new sites will be in Didcot and another in Bicester, but the other locations are still under discussion.

Bicester-based Powerhouse will provide space within 140 of its UK stores for the Tiny concessions, creating 450 jobs and boosting Tiny's annual turnover by £100m.

Tiny aims to open 15 of its new showrooms by Christmas.

Managing director Andrew Walwyn said: "With a number of major players encountering serious difficulties recently and closing down outlets, there is scope and opportunity to increase market share."

Despite the fact the computer industry is experiencing troubled times, Tiny is confident it can buck the trend and raise turnover to £430m - a 30 per cent jump.

The deal with Powerhouse brings Mr Walwyn's ambition to turn Tiny into a £1bn organisation by 2006 one step closer.

He said: "The deal increases both the number of Tiny showrooms and also our geographical spread out of town over the UK.

"These concessions are integral to our strategy of becoming the leading High Street presence for PCs and digital entertainment products."

The company is Britain's largest PC manufacturer. It already has 143 showrooms. Now the deal with Powerhouse will make it the UK's largest PC retailer.

The announcement of Powerhouse's collaboration with Tiny Computers follows the news earlier this week that Powerhouse has bought 98 stores from ScottishPower, bringing the total number of outlets owned by the company to 228.