Hundreds of jobs to be cut at Asda HQ in Leeds

Asda has announced it will cut hundreds of jobs at its Leeds head office.

The cuts, which the chain said would be in the "low hundreds", come as the grocer is expected to post the worst sales figures among its major rivals for the key Christmas trading period.

The industry's so-called Big Four players - Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's and Morrisons - have seen prices fall for more than a year under pressure from discounters such as Aldi and Lidl.

Analysts expect Asda to turn in quarterly like-for-like trading covering the Christmas period down by around 3.5%, compared with a year ago.