The company said it has already seen demand for Christmas products in recent weeks
John Lewis and Waitrose has announced it is set to hire 12,500 people in its biggest-ever recruitment drive for the Christmas period. The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) said it will be hiring the staff across its John Lewis and Waitrose stores.
JLP confirmed it will hire 4,100 more temporary staff members than it did last year. The roles the company is hiring for will be across the two brands and its distribution network in the run-up to Black Friday, Christmas and sale period in January.
Waitrose will be recruiting 7,700 seasonal roles across more than 300 shops across the country in the coming weeks. The roles on offer will include supermarket assistants, night shift workers and customer delivery drivers.
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Recruitment for 2,000 temporary roles for 34 John Lewis stores is already under way. The retailer also said a “small number” of vacancies remain after a high level of interest in the jobs.
The partnership is also hiring around 2,800 workers in its supply chain through agencies for roles such as warehouse workers and drivers as they deal with the increased online demand. The company has said it has already seen strong demand for Christmas in recent weeks with volumes of its Waitrose Christmas range up 25% year-on-year sales of decorations from its John Lewis Christmas shop up 20%.
Charlotte Lock, customer director at JLP, said: “Whether making sure you’re choosing the right headphones or wanting inspirational food ideas for entertaining, we know customers value the independent, trusted advice they get from our partners and that friendly, personal touch.
“Our partners have always been at the heart of what sets us apart – we’re thrilled by the interest the roles have already received and that people want to be part of the excitement that surrounds our two brands at Christmas.”
