UK supermarkets are gearing up for one of the busiest shopping seasons of the year, launching major recruitment drives for temporary Christmas staff. Collectively, more than 70,000 festive roles are being advertised across the major grocers and high street retailers.
Roles span from shelf stacking and home delivery to customer service and warehouse operations, as retailers prepare for a surge in demand across stores and online in the final quarter of 2025
Tesco: 28,500 festive jobs
Tesco is aiming to recruit more than 28,500 temporary staff this Christmas, mainly across its Superstore and Extra formats. Shifts include early morning, daytime and evening hours, covering everything from stocking shelves to picking online orders.
The supermarket said it wanted people who could “bring warmth, enthusiasm and a helpful service to every shopping trip”.
“We’re excited to be recruiting festive colleagues to help make it a season to remember for our customers,” said Ela Golab, Tesco Group people services director. “No day is ever the same, and festive colleagues will be able to feel the impact they make on every shift, as they send customers home with a smile.”
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Iceland: 1,800 festive jobs
Iceland Foods is looking to fill 1,800 part-time and full-time roles ahead of the “busy” festive period. It includes 1,200 retail assistants to work in Iceland and Food Warehouse stores, as well as an additional 650 delivery drivers.
All positions – which Iceland is hoping to fill by 28 November – will be offered fixed term contracts of 16 weeks over the key Christmas period. Iceland is sweetening the deal by offering all 15% discount in stores and online from the first day of their employment.
“With more than a million stairs to climb and hundreds of thousands of turkeys and festive party food to deliver, we’re looking for more people to join our team this Christmas,” said Paul Dhaliwal, Iceland Foods chief commercial officer.
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Sainsbury’s and Argos: 19,000 festive jobs
Sainsbury’s and Argos have launched a joint festive recruitment drive for 19,000 seasonal positions – 17,000 at Sainsbury’s and 2,000 at Argos.
Roles include replenishing shelves, serving shoppers, and delivering to customers’ homes. Seasonal colleagues will receive free food during shifts and staff discounts of up to 15% at Sainsbury’s and Argos.
“Christmas is when customers count on us most,” said Tracey Clements, Sainsbury’s chief retail, logistics and supply chain officer. “We’re looking forward to welcoming thousands of new team members to help us deliver great-tasting festive products, unbeatable value and brilliant service.”
Contracts will run for between four and 12 weeks over the peak period.
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Aldi UK: 4,500 festive jobs
Aldi kicked off its Christmas recruitment campaign early, hiring 4,500 new staff across its 1,060 stores. Positions include store assistants, cleaners and managers to help replenish stock and support customers through the festive rush and into 2026.
“At Aldi, our goal is to make high-quality, affordable food accessible to everyone, and at Christmas demand for that always increases,” said Kelly Stokes, Aldi UK recruitment director.
Aldi remains the UK’s highest-paying supermarket, with store workers earning £13.02 an hour nationally and £14.35 inside the M25. The discounter also offers paid breaks and will once again close all stores on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day to allow staff time off.
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Waitrose and John Lewis: 13,700 festive jobs
The John Lewis Partnership has launched its biggest-ever seasonal recruitment campaign, hiring 13,700 people across John Lewis and Waitrose.
That includes 3,000 roles in 35 John Lewis stores, 8,500 positions across 215 Waitrose branches, and 2,200 in its distribution and supply chain network.
“We’ve invested heavily to set ourselves up for a great golden quarter,” said Jo Rackham, JLP chief people officer. “Whether helping customers find the perfect gift or the showstopper for Christmas lunch, our seasonal teams play a huge role in spreading festive magic.”
The group expects over 30 million in-store visits and 180 million website visits through the golden quarter, with distribution centres dispatching more than two deliveries per second.
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Boots: 6,000 festive jobs
Boots is hiring 6,000 temporary workers in the run-up to Christmas, spanning stores, warehouses and customer service centres.
Around 4,000 will be customer service advisers in-store, while 1,000 hybrid operations assistants will support both retail and online fulfilment. Another 1,600 roles are based at its Beeston and Burton-on-Trent distribution centres, alongside 350 in its customer support hub.
“These roles are perfect for anyone looking to explore career paths in retail,” said Donna Hodgins, Boots director of talent acquisition. “They provide valuable experience that could lead to a permanent position in future.”
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