A new foodhall set to open later this year has created dozens of jobs.

M&S’s new store in Ashdown Business Park in Uckfield has so far recruited 80 local people to support the 15,000 sqft foodhall and is one of 20 stores due to open this year.

Store manager Gavin Boddy has been busy recruiting for jobs across the store from customer assistants to bakers and operations roles.

Since embarking on their recent recruitment, the team has received hundreds of applications.

Mr Boddy, who has worked for M&S for four years, said: “Our local community is at the heart of M&S, so to be able to create new job opportunities for local Uckfield residents is truly fantastic.

“We have worked hard to find and train the best applicants from the local area for the wide variety of roles that were available, including bakers, and customer assistants. We have identified some great candidates, and we can’t wait for the local community to meet them when we open the doors later this year.”