Deeside based Iceland put recruitment billboard outside Tesco HQ the day after 1200 job losses announced

Recruitment bosses at Deeside based supermarket giant Iceland didn’t hang about when news broke that struggling rival Tesco was to shed 1,200 head office jobs.

Tesco informed affected staff last Wednesday about the cuts, which amounts to around 25 percent of the workforce at its offices in Welwyn Garden City and nearby Hatfield.

Staff going into work at Tesco’s Hertfordshire HQ on Thursday were greeted by a bright red Iceland branded digital billboard which was mounted on the back of van, it said: ‘Looking for a cool new job? Join our head office team.’

Pictures of the van were shared widely on social media, one Tesco employee @amandahart24 shared a picture of the billboard on Twitter [above] saying: “The old Iceland tactic…. although I think it’s a bit soon to be parking this outside Tesco head office. An ill wind and all that.”

Ricky Flax, a local resident who spotted the sign, told the Daily Mail:

I just thought it was absolutely hilarious. They [Tesco] are cutting 1,200 jobs in our local area, which is obviously horrible for everyone working there, but fair play to Iceland for having the nerve to go through with this.

I think Tesco should support it. If they are making all of these people redundant they should be doing all they can to help those people find new jobs.

We’re currently recruiting for many roles. At a time when people may be uncertain about their future we wanted to show opportunities do 1/2

— Iceland Foods ❄️ (@IcelandFoods) 29 June 2017

exist in this sector. We had the very best intentions but have removed the ad as we didn’t mean to appear insensitive or cause offence 2/2

— Iceland Foods ❄️ (@IcelandFoods) 29 June 2017

An Iceland spokesman is reported saying:

Iceland is a growing business and we are currently recruiting for many roles.

At a time when people may be uncertain about their futures we wanted to show them that opportunities do exist within the food retailing sector.

We have already created more than 100 new positions at our head office in Deeside within the last year alone, and are currently in the final phase of a £5 million investment programme there to provide even better working conditions for our expanding team.