ChannelBiz UK

Sainsbury’s creates 150 tech jobs in Manchester

Sainsbury’s will create 150 new digital and technology jobs in Manchester over the next 18 months in the latest expansion of its online business.

The UK’s second biggest supermarket chain currently has 900 employees on its digital and tech team and has already created 480 roles in London and Coventry over the past 12 months. For its latest round of recruitment, it wants to attract software developers and software development managers in addition to DevOps engineers.

World-class

“The world is changing rapidly,” said Jon Rudoe, digital and technology director at Sainsbury’s.

“Our vision is for Sainsbury’s to have a world-class digital and technology function to ensure that we can deliver great services for our customers whenever and wherever they want to shop with us.

“This announcement demonstrates our commitment to that goal and to attracting the best talent in this ever developing sector. As Manchester is the UK’s second largest technology hub, it’s a natural step for us to recruit here.”

The news has been praised by the wider technology industry, with the move coming at a great time for businesses looking to appeal to digital shoppers more and more.

Amazon’s recent move into home grocery delivery, which saw it team up with Morrisons, showed that the traditional big players will have to adapt to compete.

“With the rise and popularity of services such as speedy delivery, click-and-collect and mobile points of commerce, the divide between online and offline retailing is not only blurring but is disappearing altogether,” noted John Pincott, from online commerce analyst firm Kibo.

“As such, in order to remain competitive and meet the expectations of today’s connected consumer, retailers must offer an integrated omnichannel strategy that delivers a seamless retail experience regardless of where or how consumers choose to shop. This is particularly critical for Sainsbury’s if they are to improve consumer loyalty and effectively compete with or seek to surpass Tesco and other online giants.”

Antony Savvas

York, UK-based Antony Savvas has been a technology journalist for 25 years and has expertise in all major areas of enterprise and consumer IT. He has worked for a number of leading technology magazines and websites and his work is syndicated across the internet. He also undertakes corporate work for some of the world's leading technology companies.