These developments will have a really positive impact on each local community as well as the country as a whole

Alan Forrest, B&Q

They will sell 40,000 products in more than a mile-and-a-half of aisles.

The chain says it is taking on a number of employees over the age of 50.

The new jobs will take the number of people employed by the country's largest DIY employer to almost 3,000 in Scotland.

Alan Forrest, B&Q's warehouse manager for Scotland, said: "These developments will have a really positive impact on each local community as well as the country as a whole."

He said B&Q believed that customers benefited from the extra skills and experience mature workers bring to the job.

Unconventional briefings

The new stores have already recruited a number of people aged over 50, he said.

He also said that staff would be taking part in unconventional team briefings each morning.

During these "energisers" workers will take part in a range of aerobic exercise, singing and dancing routines to "rev-up the staff for the day ahead".

Last year B&Q announced that it would create 4,000 jobs across the UK by opening 25 new warehouse stores by 2004.