John Lewis and Waitrose to hire over 10,000 Christmas workers
John Lewis and Waitrose to hire over 10,000 Christmas workers
- JLP aims to recruit for more than 2,800 seasonal posts at its Waitrose stores
- The company is also recruiting more than 2,900 temporary positions at John Lewis stores
- The employee-owned retailer has suffered three consecutive annual losses
The John Lewis Partnership has launched a recruitment campaign to recruit over 10,000 people before the Christmas holidays.
The UK’s largest retailer is looking to recruit more than 2,800 seasonal roles across its 329 Waitrose stores, including supermarket assistants, night shift workers and delivery drivers.
It also hopes to fill an additional 2,700 short-term supply chain positions through staffing agencies, such as delivery drivers and warehouse workers.
Black Friday and Christmas represent the peak trading seasons for JLP, which has traditionally been on a significant fall recruitment drive to meet increased demand
In addition, the group is seeking people to fill more than 2,900 temporary sales and merchandising posts across the 34 John Lewis branches and 1,700 full-time positions at both Waitrose and John Lewis in a ‘variety of roles’.
Black Friday and Christmas represent the peak trading seasons for John Lewis, who traditionally engages in a significant fall recruitment drive to meet increased demand.
In 2022, the company sought to recruit more than 10,000 temporary workers for the holiday season, promising the added benefit of free food between October and early January amid the cost-of-living crisis.
But according to De Telegraaf, the No free meals are offered this year.
Lisa Cherry, JLP’s Executive Director of People, commented: ‘We are extremely proud of the way our two brands have become part of the Christmas excitement, and this is a great opportunity to be at the heart of it at such’ a special event. time.
‘Our customers are at the forefront of everything we do; we want to give them a great festive season with inspiring products and the very best customer service thanks to our brilliant partners.’
John Lewis’ hiring campaign comes at a challenging time for the retailer, which has suffered three consecutive annual losses due to the coronavirus pandemic, online competition and inflationary pressures.
For the twelve months ended January 28, the group reported a worse-than-expected loss of £234m after costs rose by nearly £180m and Waitrose stores suffered a massive write-down.
It meant that for only the second time since 1953, the company was unable to reward employees with an annual bonus.
Dame Sharon White, the chairman of the partnership, has faced serious doubts about her future. The retailer’s partnership board voted against her performance at a meeting in May last year, though they supported her mandate.
The following month, she pledged to return the company to profitability by 2026, saying employee bonuses will only return “when they are affordable.”
She is leading a turnaround plan that includes relaunching the Partnership credit card, investing in new-build homes and cutting £900m in costs from job losses and shop closures.
JLP plans to build 10,000 rental homes as part of its goal to generate 40 percent of retail profits by the end of this decade.