Supermarket group Tesco yesterday unveiled plans for 3,500 new jobs as it prepared to switch 350 posts to an IT support centre in India.

Jobs in Dundee, Welwyn Garden City and Cardiff will be affected by the opening of a new business support centre in Bangalore, although staff will be given the chance to switch to other roles within the company.

At the same time, Tesco said it would create 1,400 jobs from its expansion of Tesco Express branded stores with another 2,000 new positions set to be generated because of recent strong trading.

Another 50 jobs will also be created in Tesco Telecoms during the next 12 months as the group prepares to launch its new fixed line service.

The recruitment drive comes on top of the 10,000 new UK jobs which Tesco pledged to create earlier this year. It currently has 222,000 UK employees.

In a statement, Tesco explained the creation of a new IT support centre in India was necessary to support the rest of the business.

It added: "Although 350 roles will transfer to the new service centre from Tesco UK operations during the next 12 months, decisions like this make UK jobs more secure because the Tesco business will be stronger and more able to grow."

The company already has a team in Bangalore sourcing non-food items for overseas outlets.

The creation of 1,400 new Tesco Express jobs follows the company's acquisition of 860 One Stop shops from T&S Stores in October.

Outlets are being converted at the rate of four a week with the first clutch due to open this week at Milton Keynes, Oldham, Reading and Wickford, Essex.

Strong trading, which sent underlying profits 15 per cent higher to £1.4 billion in the last financial year, has also led to 2,000 new jobs.

Tesco added: "With stores busier than ever, extra positions have been created across the country to make sure our customers get the best possible service."

In the 12 weeks to May 17, Tesco said total UK sales rose 12.3 per cent with the key like-for-like figure ahead by 5.8 per cent on a year earlier.