John Lewis Partnership to recruit 13,700 seasonal staff

The John Lewis Partnership has launched a recruitment drive to take on 13,700 seasonal staff across John Lewis and Waitrose stores and their distribution network in the run to Christmas.

Across the group’s 35 John Lewis branches including at John Lewis Cheadle, 3,000 seasonal roles are being recruited for, along with 8,500 in Waitrose supermarkets and nearly 2,200 across the retailer’s distribution centres and supply chain network. 

This significant recruitment for seasonal roles is a direct result of the Partnership’s wider investment in strengthening its customer service and experience – including the opening of its first new Waitrose stores in six years, and an £800 million in John Lewis including the transformation of its beauty halls.

The efforts are already paying off: John Lewis was recently named Retailer of the Year by Which? – with judges recognising its “great value for money and first-class customer service”. Similarly, in the 2025 Customer Service Institute it became the highest-rated retailer in the UK.

Speaking on the new roles Jo Rackham, Chief People Officer for the John Lewis Partnership said:

“We’ve invested heavily to set ourselves up for a great golden quarter, but our excellent service also relies on having brilliant Partners on hand, whenever and wherever our customers need them.

“Whether helping our customers find the perfect gift for a loved one, or the show-stopper for their Christmas lunch, our seasonal teams play a huge role in spreading the festive magic. They’re rewarding roles, at one of the most exciting times of year to work in retail.”

During the run up to the festive season period, John Lewis is expected to welcome well over 30 million visitors to its shops – in addition to receiving over 180 million visits to its website. Its distribution centres will dispatch more than two deliveries each second. Meanwhile in the week leading up to Christmas, Waitrose Partners will pick and deliver over 8 million cases of product to its shops to help make sure that customers have everything they need for a perfect celebration.