The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) which also owns supermarket Waitrose, is recruiting more than 10,000 staff as it starts its preparations for the key Christmas period, reports The Independent. It said it will hire for over 2,900 temporary roles in sales and merchandising positions across its 34 John Lewis retail stores. In Waitrose meanwhile, the retailer will recruit more than 2,800 seasonal roles across 329 shops, including supermarket assistants, night shift workers and customer delivery drivers.

The group is also recruiting 2,700 festive roles in its supply chain through recruitment agencies, with jobs including warehouse workers and drivers to help the firm fulfil online delivery and click-and-collect orders. In addition to these seasonal jobs, John Lewis Partnership said it will be hiring for 1,700 further positions across both Waitrose and John Lewis in a variety of areas over the coming months.