Marks & Spencer launches Christmas recruitment drive targeting 11,000 customer assistants

Marks & Spencer has today announced it will be recruiting over 11,000 customer assistants to support in stores across the UK over the festive period, over 1,000 more than last year.

The additional hires "reflect the high street retailer’s ongoing focus on delivering exceptional customer service".

The recruitment window opens on 9 October and new staff will join M&S from mid-November - with a range of start dates, variety of roles, and flexible working patterns available.

Sacha Berendji, Operations Director at Marks & Spencer, said: "Our fantastic store colleagues play such a big part in delivering the magic of M&S at Christmas to our customers. And this year we’re recruiting even more colleagues to ensure we’re closer to customers.

"The Christmas period is a busy but exciting time for M&S and no two days are the same – in fact, many colleagues started their M&S careers at Christmas and after the festive period were invited to go onto our Stepping Into Team Manager programme.

"With a range of roles and flexible working patterns available, anyone who is interested in being part of something special this Christmas should visit our careers website to apply."

A customer assistant role at M&S is described as "the face of the business", serving customers on the shop floor and at service points, ensuring the shelves and rails are always stocked, and engaging with customers to understand their needs and make recommendations.

Christmas staff also play an integral role in delivering M&S’ ‘Christmas Food to Order’ service, which launched this year on 24 September, ensuring millions of customers get their all-important festive essentials on time.

Vacancies will be available in every M&S store in the UK and candidates can visit the retailer's careers page and complete an application, before being invited to either a one-to-one interview or group assessment.