John Lewis to offer free staff meals as it recruits 10,000 seasonal workers

The retailer will offer all staff including permanent, temporary and agency workers free meals while on shift.

The offer will be available from October 3 to January 6, covering the peak Christmas period.

Staff will be able to choose one meal per four-hour shift, which will be delivered in different ways depending on the workplace.

Those in bigger John Lewis and Waitrose stores, head offices and distribution centres, for example, will eat in canteens, whereas delivery drivers will be given a pre-packed meal for on the road.

Meals include full English breakfasts and Sunday roasts. Locations with an on-site kitchen will also offer vegetarian meals and pasta dishes, while free coffee, tea and fruit will be available throughout the day.

A spokesperson added that the food will use Waitrose ingredients wherever possible.

The news comes as the Partnership looks to recruit 10,000 seasonal workers to help over the Christmas peak – a 3,000 uplift on last year.

Around 4,000 of these will be recruited for Waitrose, including store staff, delivery drivers and night-shift workers, while 2,000 will be added to its John Lewis department store chain.

A further 4,000 workers will be recruited for its supply chain to help operate warehouses.

Chief operating 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.”

• Get the latest department stores news and analysis straight to your inbox – sign up for our weekly newsletter