John Lewis Partnership, the parent company of Waitrose, has announced it will offer free meals to all employees and temporary workers from 3 October to 6 January in a bid to support them through the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.
The company has also launched a recruitment drive to hire over 10,000 seasonal workers across the county to meet the increased demand over the festive period.
The new roles are within both Waitrose and John Lewis stores as well as its distribution network.
The Partnership added that it will recruit 4,000 seasonal roles across 331 of its Waitrose shops, including supermarket assistants, night shift workers and customer delivery drivers.
For all things Waitrose, sign up to our FREE daily newsletter
Around 2,000 temporary roles in 34 John Lewis stores will also be made available , including sales and merchandising roles.
In addition, the company is also recruiting 4,000 roles in its supply chain through the recruitment agencies it works with, including warehouse workers and drivers to support the expected increase in online orders.
“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,” John Lewis Partnership chief operations officer Andrew Murphy said.
“We are looking forward to welcoming people across the country to grow our team and ensure we deliver a great Christmas for our customers.”
Successful candidates will receive a competitive salary, training and potential development opportunities.
