McDonald's to create 5,000 jobs in Britain

[LONDON] McDonald's Corp said on Wednesday it would create over 5,000 jobs in Britain by the end of 2017, in a sign of its commitment to the country despite the challenging economic conditions.

Industry surveys have suggested that Britain's vote to leave the EU has hammered consumer confidence, although those retailers to report results since last month's referendum have not reported any sharp drop off in demand.

"These remain challenging economic conditions but I'm pleased that, together with our franchisees, we remain committed to the UK," said McDonald's UK chief executive Paul Pomroy.

"Our continued focus on serving quality, affordable food and giving our customers a great experience is enabling us to keep investing in our business and creating jobs."

Britain's business minister, Greg Clark, welcomed the news.

"The government is committed to ensuring businesses have the support they need to thrive and today's announcement underlines that businesses are confident that the UK remains open for business," he said.

Sainsbury's, Britain's second-biggest supermarket group, said last week it planned to create 900 jobs by 2020 in London at a distribution centre dedicated to online grocery orders.

REUTERS