Waitrose has announced it received 320 applications for the 44 jobs it is creating at its new store in Ipswich’s Corn Exchange, which opens next Wednesday (1 February).
Its arrival marks the first of several store openings by the John Lewis Partnership after plans for a Waitrose supermarket and John Lewis at home in Ramsomes Way were approved recently. Both new shops are expected to open by spring 2013.
Waitrose has taken on several new employees at the Corn Exchange through working with the local branch of Jobcentre Plus (JCP) and the retailer has confirmed it will work with them again when recruitment for its new Ransomes Way store begins this autumn.
JCP and Waitrose work closely to ensure candidates put forward by JCP are allocated places in the group interviews. The supermarket anticipates interviewing up to 500 local people during the process after jobs are advertised later this year with a quarter of spaces allocated to priority customers from JCP.
Hilary Woods, national employer relationship manager from Jobcentre Plus, said: “Jobcentre Plus and Waitrose have established a very successful relationship over the last five years to support recruitment on new store openings. Through working together we hope to help more local people in Ipswich find secure, long-term employment with a business that has one of the best reputations for looking after its staff.
“We have been running group interviews for some of our priority customers with the aim of building on the ever increasing number of people we have already helped find employment with Waitrose.”
Waitrose Ipswich store manager, Fiona McWilliam, said: “The opening of the Corn Exchange marks the first in a series of major investments by the John Lewis Partnership in Ipswich and underlines our confidence in the future of the town centre and wider area as a vibrant retail destination.
“We were overwhelmed by the calibre of applications we received and there will be more opportunities to join the business when recruitment for our new stores in Ramsomes Way starts later in this year.
“As a relatively new Partner myself, I have enjoyed numerous chances to develop my own skills and I am thoroughly looking forward to undertaking an exciting challenge here in Ipswich.”
The ‘John Lewis Partnership model’ was recently praised by deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg, and all 44 new Partners, as Waitrose employees are known, will become co-owners of the business. This will entitle them to a say in how it is run and an annual share in profits, which last year saw all Partners receive 18% of their annual wage as a bonus.
Waitrose also invests heavily in training and career progression, providing Partners with opportunities for management training and access to over 5,000 courses, through its Learning & Development Centre.
Source: Waitrose
