Superdrug take on 1000 staff

THE owners of beauty chain Superdrug are bucking the high street gloom by creating another 1000 jobs.

AS Watson aim to open nearly 90 stores across the UK next year despite a shopper spending slowdown and Brexit looming.

The expansion is made up of 30 new Superdrug stores, plus 45 of budget sister chain Savers and another 13 outlets of The Perfume Shop.

The move comes despite carnage elsewhere on the high street, with House of Fraser set to become to latest chain to propose a wave of closures.

AS Watson aim to open 1300 stores worldwide next year – one every seven hours.

The company is owned by Hong Kongbased CK Hutchison, the UK’s biggest foreign investors. It came as a blunder by accountancy giants KPMG threw the fate of 336 Mothercare workers into doubt.

The baby and toddler chain announced last Friday that creditors had backed plans for a major shake-up, including closing 50 stores, putting 800 jobs at risk.

But it has since emerged KPMG failed to spot errors in votes for 21 stores in Mothercare’s Children’s World arm.

It meant proposals to close one and demand rent cuts on others were rejected.

“We are now considering our next steps,” said the chain. THE makers of Aunt Bessie’s Yorkshire puddings are being snapped up by a billionaire former hedge firm boss for £210million. Nomad Foods, based in the British Virgin Islands, are buying Aunt Bessie’s Ltd from family-owned company William Jackson, who own organic produce delivery firm Abel & Co. The deal, funded by cash and debt, includes their factory in Hull. Nomad, started by wealthy Noam Gottesman, already own Birds Eye, Findus and bought the Goodfellas Pizza business from food tycoon Ranjit Boparan earlier this year.