Christmas comes early in store for 13,700 job seekers

JOHN Lewis wants to fill 13,700 Christmas jobs in its biggest yet hiring drive.

- By Rachel Williams

The retail giant, which includes John Lewis department stores and Waitrose supermarkets, is creating the roles to meet the anticipated spike in demand during the festive shopping period.

It wants 3,000 temporary workers across 35 John Lewis outlets, 8,500 in Waitrose branches and nearly 2,200 at its distribution centres and supply chain operations.

The company hires seasonal shop assistants and warehouse staff for each year’s “golden quarter” — the final three months of the year — and January sales period.