Sainsbury's launches recruitment drive for 18,000 additional Christmas jobs

Sainsbury's has announced that it is hiring 18,000 seasonal jobs to help the retail giant get through the busy Christmas period.

The company said it had created 15,000 jobs at Sainsbury's, 2,000 at Argos and 1,000 in its logistics division.

It was said the new staff would help stock shelves, select items and pack and deliver online orders in Sainsbury's and Argos stores.

At the same time, the company is also looking for logistics employees for the warehouses in order to meet the increased demand for products.

This comes amid a holiday season when retail is expected to be particularly busy after two disrupted Christmases due to the pandemic.

Bosses said casual staff at Sainsbury's and Argos' Christmas stores in London will receive an hourly wage of £10.25 and £11.30 respectively, which was increased earlier this year.

Angie Risley, HR Director at Sainsbury's, said: “We are delighted to welcome 18,000 more colleagues to our team to ensure we can provide the best possible service to our customers this Christmas.”

“It’s a special but busy time of year and as more customers return to stores to shop more, this investment in service will ensure customers can easily and conveniently find everything they need to celebrate this year.

“We know how tough the situation is for households at the moment and, in addition to offering customers excellent value for money, we are committed to paying our employees top wages.

“Our new higher base wage, colleague discount and free meals during shifts ensure that colleagues are well rewarded for their hard work.”