The Partnership, which operates 331 Waitrose supermarket stores, said it was taking a series of measures to ensure their Christmas stock arrives in the UK on time.
The news comes after the UK government announced plans to accelerate the process of obtaining an HGV driver licence as a means of tackling the nationwide labour shortages.
John Lewis chair Sharon White told the BBC that the Partnership had seen “the same sort of supply chain issues that are common now across retail.” However, she also said that the company was “acting fast” to make sure they can still deliver “a fantastic, sparkly Christmas to [their] customers.”
To ease the effects of the labour crisis, the Partnership has raised wages for HGV drivers and are reportedly “starting to see the results of that.” The company also said it has plans to hire 7,000 seasonal workers, up 2,000 on last year.
In addition to these measures, additional warehouse space is set to be allocated by the Partnership to support its online ecommerce platforms. Additional “space in ships” is also in the works, according to White.
