Asda says to create an extra 10,000 Christmas jobs

LONDON, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Asda, Britain's second-biggest supermarket chain, is recruiting an extra 10,000 jobs for Christmas and the New Year, to complement its existing 10,000-strong seasonal squad, it said on Thursday.

The seasonal squad are staff contracted to work at the busiest periods of the year, such as Easter, summer and Christmas and New Year.

"We're expecting this to be our biggest Christmas ever," Asda Chief Operating Officer Andy Clarke said.

Asda, owned by U.S. group Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N), said the extra jobs were on top of its commitment to create 7,000 new positions by the end of this year.

Asda reported a 7.2 percent rise in like-for-like sales, excluding fuel, in the second quarter of its financial year. (Reporting by Mark Potter, editing by Will Waterman)