Supermarket chain Asda reveals plans to open more of its new format 'Living' stores in 2012 as part of a £500m investment over the next 12 months.
As well as new branches of the standalone non-food Asda Living format, there will be new superstores and small format supermarkets - a total of 25 new openings adding over 600,000 sq ft of net selling space to Asda.

The company will also open three more depots and extend and refurbish 43 of its existing stores. In total, the investment will create up to 5,000 jobs.

Prime Minister David Cameron welcomed the announcement, saying: "The additional investment and 5,000 new jobs announced by Asda today will be a real boost for the economy, and more importantly for people around Britain seeking jobs.

Asda's confidence in its Living format is in stark contrast to the recent news from rival Tesco, which is reported to be about to pull the plug on its Home Plus stores.