John Lewis Partnership is recruiting more than 10,000 temporary workers to help meet the Christmas demand.
Around 4,000 seasonal workers will be employed at its 331 Waitrose shops across a variety of roles, including supermarket assistants and delivery drivers.
An additional 2,000 employees will be recruited across its 34 John Lewis stores in sales and merchandising positions.
The remaining 4,000 positions will be used to supplement its supply chain, including its warehouses, to “support the expected increase in Waitrose.com and John Lewis.com orders,” according to a statement.
“We pride ourselves on creating a happy workplace because it's our Partners who make the difference and it’s thanks to them that John Lewis and Waitrose are two of the UK’s best-loved brands,” said chief operations officer Andrew Murphy.
“We are looking forward to welcoming people across the country to grow our team and ensure we deliver a great Christmas for our customers.”
Temporary workers and full time staff will also be given free food from 3 October to 6 January to help with the cost of living.