The John Lewis Partnership is recruiting for more than 150 engineering and delivery management positions as part of a major investment in its online stores.
The retail giant, which also owns supermarket Waitrose, said its recruitment drive will help grow its online stores, which together see more than 55 million visits per month.
Online sales have exploded in the wake of the home delivery boom caused by the pandemic shutdowns.
They now account for nearly 70% of total John Lewis sales, while Waitrose has seen its online share quadruple, from 5% in 2020 to nearly 20% this year.
It comes after John Lewis said last month he was bringing back his 3% staff bonus after cutting payments last year for the first time since 1953.
But plans to expand the company’s online team follow recent sweeping job cuts at its department stores.
Last July, the group announced that it planned to cut an additional 1,000 jobs after the closure of 16 department stores, representing nearly 4,000 job cuts in total in just over a year.
The overhaul saw John Lewis cut costs by £170m, while reporting a sharp rise in pre-tax profit to £181m in the year to January 29.
The retailer said last week it had repaid a £150million bank loan before it was due to avoid unnecessary interest charges and prepare for a possible recession in the UK.
The head office vacancies announced today include software, cloud platform and data engineers to help innovate the company and develop its purchasing applications.
It also posted more than 70 driver openings across the UK as demand for home deliveries of groceries and household items remains high.
Sandra Christie, Group Engineering Manager, said: “We have an industry-leading team driving the digital growth of our two iconic brands, Waitrose and John Lewis.
“It’s our partners that make the difference and we’re really excited to make this significant investment in growing our engineering talent.”
John Lewis said its employees are eligible for benefits including flexible working, store discounts and equal parental leave.
