Sainsbury’s is to recruit 15,000 seasonal staff over the Christmas and New Year period.

Roles include customer service, check-out, stacking shelves and helping online delivery teams.

Helen Webb, Sainsbury’s retail human resources director, said: “These new roles are great news for the economy and will provide a real boost to communities across the UK.

“We are looking for passionate, motivated individuals who love working as part of a team. Retail is a fantastic industry to work in and there really is no better time to be in store than at Christmas. Last year we had over 24 million customer transactions in Christmas week alone, so our seasonal colleagues are absolutely vital in ensuring that we provide our customers with great customer service right across the store.

“We know from experience that many of our seasonal colleagues use the opportunity as a springboard to a career at Sainsbury’s. Last year 2,100 of our seasonal colleagues gained permanent roles at Sainsbury’s and we hope that many of the colleagues from this year’s intake will benefit in a similar way.”

Interested parties can apply from this month onwards for employment starting in late November.