John Lewis to give free meals to staff to help with rising cost of living over Christmas period

John Lewis to give free meals to staff to help with rising cost of living over Christmas period
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George McMillan

By George McMillan


Published: 31/08/2022

- 17:04

Updated: 14/02/2023

- 10:42

The new positions will be advertised online from September.

The John Lewis Partnership has said it will be giving free meals to its staff over three months to help with the rising cost of living as it announced it will be looking for 10,000 new Christmas staff.

The retail group behind the John Lewis department store chain and Waitrose supermarket business said it will advertise supply chain jobs to help deal with the expected increase in demand.


File photo dated 04/07/20 of a John Lewis department store in Leicester. The John Lewis Partnership (JLP) has confirmed the first locations where it will build hundreds of rental homes as part of the group's plans to expand outside of traditional shops. Issue date: Thursday June 9, 2022.
The group is hiring about 2,000 temporary workers for the its 34 John Lewis stores,
Mike Egerton

Around 4,000 new seasonal workers will be recruited for the group’s 331 Waitrose shops. These will include supermarket assistants, night shift workers and delivery drivers.

The group is also hiring about 2,000 temporary workers for the its 34 John Lewis stores, including sales and merchandising roles.

The company added that all permanent staff and temporary workers will receive free food from October 3 to January 6 to help with cost of living pressures.

JLP said the new positions will be advertised online through September and October.

Additionally, the business is also filling about 4,000 roles across its supply chain through recruitment agencies, with JLP seeking to hire more warehouse workers and drivers to cope with higher demand for orders.

A general view of the new Waitrose online distribution centre in Acton, London.
Around 4,000 new seasonal workers will be recruited for the group’s 331 Waitrose shops.
Georgie Gillard

Andrew Murphy, chief operations officer, at JLP said: “We pride ourselves on creating a happy workplace because it’s our partners who make the difference and it’s thanks to them that John Lewis and Waitrose are two of the UK’s best-loved brands.

“We are looking forward to welcoming people across the country to grow our team and ensure we deliver a great Christmas for our customers.”

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