Marks & Spencer is to hire 500 extra seasonal staff in online distribution in expectation of high Christmas demand as Covid restrictions continue.
The recruitment of fixed-term contract staff at M&S’s online distribution centre Castle Donington comes on top of the creation of 400 permanent roles in July.
Together, the hirings mean the retailer will have increased staff numbers by 30% year on year to approximately 4,000.
Online retail sales have rocketed during the pandemic and are expected to climb over the busy Christmas period as shoppers avoid busy locations and life is constrained by local lockdown measures.
M&S reported a 39.2% increase in online sales when it updated in August, and last week said that Christmas-related searches are up 80% year on year.
As part of the retailer’s ‘Never the same again’ programme, unveiled in response to the changes wrought by the coronavirus outbreak, staff at Castle Donington are increasingly working in flexible ways, which is helping to ensure efficiency.
All are now trained in at least two of the four core tasks at Castle Donington: receiving products, putting them away, picking and packing.
Advances in automation and similar technological changes are also being made at the centre, such as ‘autobagger’ machines, which can each pack 2,000 items per hour, and IT mapping, which enables staff to pick 15% more product without needing to walk any further.
M&S clothing and home head of logistics Paul Burns said: “We’re set up to ensure our colleagues can safely help our customers shop online with confidence this Christmas.”
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