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Kingfisher & DPD To Create 7,500 Summer Jobs On Back Of Coronavirus Demand

20 Jun 2020

Kingfisher & DPD To Create 7,500 Summer Jobs On Back Of Coronavirus Demand

Delivery firm DPD and B&Q owner Kingfisher have announced plans to create 7,500 new temporary summer jobs after a surge of demand during the ongoing pandemic.

6000 of the new jobs will be at DPD and a further 1,500 vacancies will be created at B&Q.

The DPD jobs consist of 2,500 warehouse workers, parcel sorters, mechanics and other support staff, along with 3,500 new drivers.

The Kingfisher recruitment push for thousands of new staff is being driven by a surge in demand for online products in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak.

At B&Q, Kingfisher reports that online sales were up more than 200 per cent during the first two months of the Coronavirus lockdown. Likewise, the increase in online ordering has in turn lead to an increase in the numbers of packages which need to be delivered to homes across the UK.

Announcing the new jobs, DPD’s Chief Executive Officer, Dwain McDonald, said: “We are experiencing the biggest boom in online retailing in the UK's history and we are making this unprecedented investment in our infrastructure and people to ensure we can continue to meet the high levels of demand for our services.”

“Since this began, we have been handling parcel volumes more akin to the festive seasonal peak than this time of year. But what we have seen in recent months is potentially a much more significant shift in behaviour, and we believe elements of it will be permanent.”

“I do think the High Street will bounce back from where things are now, but we have to base our modelling on our conversations with retailers and their projections. It looks like there will remain a much greater reliance on e-commerce in the future. That's going to be our new normal,” added Mr McDonald.

If you are looking for seasonal work during these new normal times, then there are still opportunities to be grabbed. Search for temporary jobs in your area now!

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