What: John Lewis Partnership has been diving deep into digital and has announced that it’s recruiting for more than 150 roles as part of a big new investment in digital.

Why is it important: The specialist roles will help keep John Lewis and Waitrose the go-to brands for customers who want omnichannel access to quality, value, and sustainability.

Its Software Engineer and Delivery Lead roles will help to deliver customer-facing projects on both of its brands’ web stores that between them attract more than 55 million visits each month.

John Lewis was being held up as a pioneer for the fact that 40% of its department store sales happened online. But e-sales now contributes to almost 70% of John Lewis chain sales and nearly a fifth of Waitrose sales. That 40% figure for the chain is a distant memory from two years ago, while Waitrose at the same point in time saw only 5% of sales happening digitally.

The new roles will support the growth and development of the Waitrose and John Lewis apps, which now account for almost a quarter of sales for the two brands.

John Lewis launches digital recruitment drive