Hospitality, Supermarket Assistant

John Lewis Partnership; Uttoxeter; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading retail franchise in Uttoxeter seeks a Partner to manage food counters, ensuring high standards of presentation and hygiene. Candidates should possess strong communication skills to foster customer relationships and enthusiasm for food and drink trends. The role supports a flexible working environment and values partnership in its operations.

Qualifications

• Effective communication to encourage teamwork and interact with customers.

Responsibilities

• Manage the food counter with hygiene and presentation standards.
• Monitor stock availability of beloved products.
• Follow health and safety protocols with open foods.
• Stay updated on product knowledge and Waitrose food values.
• Assist with general shopkeeping when needed.

Skills

Communication skills

Job description

Overview

About the role: As a Partner on our service counters, you'll have the opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge and passion for food while supporting ethically sourced options and recommending recipes to customers. You’ll bring our ethos — passionate Partners serving food lovers — to life.

You’ll use your enthusiasm and friendliness to build lasting relationships with customers, shaping their impression of the Waitrose brand and encouraging repeat visits by earning their trust and loyalty. You’ll also help maximise sales and profit.

Responsibilities

• You\'ll take responsibility for your own food counter, ensuring the highest presentation and hygiene standards at all times.
• Stay on top of stock levels, ensuring products customers love are available when needed.
• Handle open foods with care and follow due diligence and health & safety protocols; help reduce food wastage.
• Maintain knowledge of new products and understand Waitrose\'s food values (e.g. animal welfare).
• Support the wider shop team with general shopkeeping tasks as required.

Essential skills/experience

• Communication skills to enable effective teamwork and customer interaction.

Desirable skills/experience

• Experience in a customer-facing role is welcomed.
• Experience in a catering/hospitality environment.
• Up-to-date knowledge and strong interest in food and drink trends.
• Flexible approach to support the whole branch.

About The Partnership

We’re the largest employee-owned business in the UK and home to John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees—we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. We Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.

As Partners we share ownership and the rewards. We use our voices to contribute to success, working together through good and challenging times, upholding our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect.

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong — embracing differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can thrive, growing ourselves individually and as a collective.

As Partners, we make all the difference. And we all own it.

Important points to note

• Some roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information during the recruitment process. DBS checks will be carried out by a third-party registered body, and financial probity checks may also be required for some roles.
• Vacancies can close early if there is a high number of applicants.
• We support flexible working where possible (flexible or compressed hours, job sharing, or shorter-hour contracts). Discuss this with the hiring manager during your interview.