Sainsbury’s is currently hiring thousands of temporary staff to help it “deliver an exceptional Christmas for customers” this year.
With the festive season now practically within our sights, and most British supermarkets having already unveiled their Christmas food and drink ranges for 2023, Sainsbury’s is gearing up for what is always one of the busiest times for the retail industry by launching a massive UK-wide seasonal recruitment drive.
The supermarket says its stores and warehouses have already started to prepare themselves for the festive season, and is looking for an army of temporary workers to join teams across the country to help along the way.
22,000 temporary Christmas will be hired in total, with 2,000 of those being at Argos outlets housed within selected Sainsbury’s stores.
Sainsbury’s is hiring! 22,000 temporary seasonal roles are now available across the nation, to help deliver an exceptional Christmas for our customers 🎄Read more here: https://t.co/RpS6iaC46xpic.twitter.com/DdFLZa1vCc
Sainsbury’s is calling on temporary colleagues “even earlier than usual this year”, and some have aleady started in their new roles in a bid to make sure there’s enough hands on deck ready to help and serve shoppers in the run up to the big day itself.
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With a wide range of roles available, the tens of thousands of temporary staff across the UK – including here in Greater Manchester – will be tasked with serving customers, restocking shelves, and fulfilling online orders by picking, packing, and delivering.
Then, in the supermarket’s depots and fulfilment centres, colleagues will work in warehouses to ensure products reach homes and stores nationwide ready for customers to enjoy.
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Sainsbury’s is currently hiring 22,000 temporary Christmas staff across the UK / Credit: Sainsbury’s
All temporary staff will be employed on fixed-term contracts that range from three to 12 weeks.
The roles also come with a number of staff perks too, as in a bid to “further support and reward colleagues with festive season expenses”, Sainsbury’s has made the decision to bump its 10% colleague discount offer up to 15% every Friday and Saturday, with an additional 15% off at Argos every payday Friday.
Temporary Christmas staff will now also receive a second discount card for a family member or friend at the same address, and free food during their shifts too.
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Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for Sainsbury’s / Credit: Hazel Nicholson (via Flickr)
“With Christmas just around the corner, we’re gearing up to serve our customers brilliantly this festive season,” commented Sainsbury’s Chief People Officer, Prerana Issar, as the supermarket launched the seasonal recruitment drive.
“This is the busiest time in the retail calendar, and we’re looking for people with a passion for good food who can thrive in a fast-paced environment and are committed to providing brilliant customer service.
“This is a perfect opportunity to kickstart a career with Sainsbury’s, and we can’t wait to welcome new and returning faces this Christmas.”
Fancy it then? If you’re keen to join the Sainsbury’s or Argos teams across the UK this Christmas, then head on over to the Sainsbury’s recruitment website here to apply, or pop into your nearby store for more information.
Featured Image – Sainsbury’s
Business
Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Emily Sergeant -
10th November 2023 
