Double jobs boost

Around 50 new jobs will be created in Dudley with the arrival of two new major retail chains.

Well-known bakers Greggs will offer nearly 30 positions with its new branch at the Merry Hill Centre.

And clothing giant Peacocks will take on up to 20 staff at its new town centre site.

The announcement follows a wave of retail job opportunities in the borough in recent months.

When the popular discount fashion chain Primark opened in Brierley Hill last month it took on 265 employees in part-time through to management roles.

And communications giant Virgin Media has also created dozens of new jobs after it revealed earlier this year that it was taking on between 10 and 12 people each month as an “ongoing recruitment process” to work at its Waterfront base.

The new Greggs has opened for business at the Merry Hill Centre and is the latest in a series of new branches for the company.

The new shop is creating 29 new full and part-time jobs and will serve a range of fresh bread, sandwiches, savouries and cakes.

Sales director at Greggs of the Midlands, Ian Bagnall, said: “This is our 162nd shop in the Midlands.”

The new Peacocks, which will be located in the Market Place, Dudley, is expected to open its doors in September. It will be the second branch of the chain in the borough.