The John Lewis Partnership has announced that it is recruiting for 12,500 temporary roles to cover increased demand over the festive season.

The retailer said this is an increase of around 4,100 roles compared to last year.
Around 7,700 roles, including supermarket assistants, night shift workers, and customer delivery drivers, will be available in over 300 branches of Waitrose.

John Lewis has already started recruiting for 2,000 temporary roles across its 34 stores.

Additionally, the Partnership said it is also recruiting for around 2,800 roles in its supply chain, including warehouse workers and drivers to support the expected increase in online orders.

“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,” said Charlotte Lock, customer director at the John Lewis Partnership. “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.”

Several other UK retailers have recently announced the launch of their recruitment drives for the Christmas period, with Marks and Spencer revealing earlier this month that it is looking for 11,000 people to work in its stores across the country.

Sainsbury’s also shared the news that it will employ 20,000 extra workers over the Christmas period across its supermarkets and Argos stores, while Morrisons will recruit 3,000 people for the festive season.

---