Morrisons is to embark on a large-scale IT recruitment drive, following the signing of a landmark deal with software giant Oracle late last year.

Retail Week learned that the grocer plans to recruit in excess of 500 IT staff and consultants in the next two years.

The staff will work on its technology-led business transformation project, called Project Evolve internally.

A Morrisons spokesman declined to comment on the recruitment figures, but said: “We have signed an ERP [enterprise resource planning software] deal with Oracle and we are planning and scoping the processes of that.”

Last year, chief executive Marc Bolland committed to spending£110 million on IT in the next three years.