ASDA staff in Glasgow are to share thousands of pounds in bonuses as part of a £2.6million giveaway by the supermarket giant.

The store chain is to award every full-time worker in shops and depots a bonus of up to £255, while 55 staff at the Asda Living non-food outlet at Glasgow Fort will each pocket a maximum £437.50.

The "superbonus" is being paid out to the Easterhouse workforce as a reward for exceeding sales targets.

They are among 20,000 workers at 55 sites across Scotland who are to share in a £2.6m windfall being paid out in recognition of their hard work. It's the seventh consecutive year that staff have been awarded bonuses."

Asda's Executive People Director, Hayley Tatum, said: "Our store and depot colleagues are the real heroes of our business and I'm delighted that we are able to reward their efforts in this way.

"Whether it's been through customer service in our stores or making sure our deliveries are on time, every time – they have done an amazing job for our customers day in day out and I am incredibly grateful to them for their efforts."

Britain's second biggest supermarket chain was launched in the 1960s and introduced annual performance-related bonus schemes in 1999.

The Yorkshire-based business has since paid out almost £200m to the workforce, which now totals 180,000 permanent and part-time staff in 1124 stores, supercentres, superstores, super-markets, non-food outlets, depots and recycling centres throughout the UK.

Bonuses were announced on a day when Asda chiefs revealed their best ever online Christmas sales.

President and chief executive Andy Clarke said: "E-commerce continues to grow in the UK and our customers are using online and mobile for more of their purchases.

"This was our strongest online Christmas season, backed with excellent merchandise availability and service levels.

"As part of our investment in global eCommerce, we invested more in the UK, offering more convenient ways to shop through mobile apps and the expansion of Click and Collect for both grocery and general merchandise.

"More than half of our online general merchandise customer base now regularly shop Asda this way.

"Total online sales increased 18.8% in the quarter versus last year."

gordon.thomson@ eveningtimes.co.uk