What:  John Lewis Partnership is recruiting 10,400 seasonal staff across John Lewis, Waitrose and its distribution network for the 2026 Christmas period.

Why it is important: The scaled-back hiring total — down from last year's record 13,700 seasonal recruits — signals a more cautious approach to peak trading, even as the retailer doubles down on youth and inclusion commitments.

John Lewis Partnership is recruiting 10,400 seasonal employees across John Lewis and Waitrose stores, distribution centres and supply chain operations in Britain ahead of the "golden quarter." John Lewis's 36 stores will add 2,600 roles, while Waitrose's 320 branches account for 6,000 positions; a further 1,800 roles sit in distribution and supply chain. The Partnership said it welcomes candidates of all ages, though seasonal roles have proven especially popular with under-25s, who have accounted for almost 75% of past Christmas cohorts.

Care-experienced young people are expected to take 100 of the roles, part of John Lewis's stated aim to reach those facing the highest barriers to work; ONS data showed youth NEET figures exceeding 1 million between January and March 2026, since easing to 981,000 for the quarter to 30 June. Seasonal pay starts at £13 an hour (£14.55 in London), rising to £13.25 (£14.80 in London) after 30 days, alongside training and flexible working options.

Chief people officer Helen Webb said the roles offer young people a stepping stone into long-term careers, and that guaranteed interviews for care-experienced candidates help break down barriers to employment.

IADS Notes: This year's 10,400 Christmas vacancies mark a step down from the record 13,700 seasonal roles John Lewis Partnership recruited for last year's golden quarter, a hiring drive that coincided with the appointment of Helen Webb as chief people officer (Drapers, October 2025), and it follows a first half in which the retailer had already committed to hiring 13,000 staff for peak trading while reinstating staff bonuses despite a widened operating loss (Drapers, September 2025). The emphasis on under-25s and guaranteed roles for care-experienced young people extends the Partnership's Building Happier Futures programme, under which it pledged a further 1,000 roles for care-experienced young people by 2030 across John Lewis and Waitrose shops, offices and warehouses (Drapers, June 2026). The £13-£13.25 hourly starting rates sit within a broader wave of shop-floor pay increases across UK retail, following comparable rises at John Lewis, M&S, Tesco and Asda that accompanied Selfridges' own 6% pay rise earlier this year (Drapers, April 2026). The 1,800 roles earmarked for distribution centres and supply chain also come against a backdrop of consolidation in John Lewis's logistics network, after the retailer closed its long-serving Blakelands distribution centre in favour of automation-led fulfilment at Magna Park, redeploying the majority of affected staff (Drapers, May 2026).

John Lewis to hire 10,400 Christmas employees, less than last year