John Lewis is ditching its offer of free food for workers over the Christmas period, as the retail giant embarks on another round of cost-cutting.
The retailer has offered seasonal workers free Sunday roasts and cooked breakfasts for the last two years running but confirmed that Christmas staff will not get the perk this year.
The change comes as the company unveils its hiring plans for Christmas, as it aims to recruit more than 10,000 roles. Of those jobs, 8,400 are seasonal.
The decision to remove free meals during the busy Christmas period marks a shift from the past two years, when all staff in John Lewis shops and distribution centres, including agency workers, were able to take up the benefit.
This included allowing long-distance lorry drivers to order a packed lunch every day to take on the road, and giving staff the offer of microwavable ready meals, salads and sandwiches if they worked in locations without kitchens.
In 2021, the company said the move would “help ensure we can attract the help we need”, while last year, it was to “help with the cost of living”.
Lisa Cherry, executive director of people at the John Lewis Partnership, said: “We’re hugely proud of the way our two brands have become part of the excitement that surrounds Christmas and this is a great opportunity to be at the heart of that at such a special time.”
John Lewis job adverts currently on its website said staff are still offered free hot drinks and on-site parking.
Non-seasonal workers at the company also have access to John Lewis schemes, such as hardship grants and interest-free loans.
It comes months after John Lewis scrapped its staff bonus for only the second time in its history after warning that inflation had hit “like a hurricane”.
Chairman Dame Sharon White said in March that cost-cutting efforts would have to be scaled up after losses ballooned to more than £230m in its latest financial year to the end of January.
John Lewis said it was aiming to strip around £600m of extra costs out of the businesses within the next few years, having already cut just over £300m of costs since the start of 2021.
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiaWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRlbGVncmFwaC5jby51ay9idXNpbmVzcy8yMDIzLzA4LzI1L2pvaG4tbGV3aXMtc2NyYXBzLWZyZWUtYnJlYWtmYXN0cy1yb2FzdHMtY2hyaXN0bWFzLXRlbXBzL9IBAA?oc=5
2023-08-25 05:00:00Z
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