Argos begins search for 15,000 extra staff over Christmas period

Through its recruitment campaign, 'Enjoy a richer Christmas', Argos is hoping to attract around 15,000 temporary members of staff to fill largely part-time roles over the retailer's peak period. And it looks as if there is an even greater demand for roles this year, with stores already experiencing an influx of applications, in some areas as many as triple the number received last year.

The vast majority of the roles will be in stores throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland. However, in addition, Argos is also looking to recruit staff to work within its distribution and call centre operations.

"The run-up to Christmas is always an exciting trading period for us and creates a real buzz within our stores." says managing director, Sara Weller, "It also provides a fantastic opportunity for those looking for temporary work over the Christmas period to benefit from really flexible working opportunities in stores right across the country. At our busiest we can experience a threefold increase in the number of customers coming into our stores, so it's vital that we continue to give them exceptional service, especially as it can be a stressful time of year for shoppers. We know that in previous years our temporary staff have really enjoyed being part of our store teams and they can make a real difference to the Christmas shopping experience for our customers."

Argos' recruitment focus this year is all about discovering people who can support the business in delivering that exceptional service to our customers and who are able to work well as a team. This means the business isn't necessarily looking for people who have previous retail experience and, as full training is offered, it's a great opportunity for people to make a start in the retail world.

And seasonal temporary work can sometimes turn out to be far more long term, according to Argos' HR director, Andrew Bush: "Most people who choose temporary work do so because it suits their lifestyle, but we have found that it can really kick start someone's career. Although our Christmas recruitment campaign starts early, we retain a very high percentage of temporary staff throughout their contract and don't lose them to other retailers who have typically started their Christmas recruitment after us. We also retain a large proportion of temporary employees long after Christmas and we have over 1,000 who have returned to us each year for the last few years. Many of our store managers started as Christmas temporary workers so we know it can work long-term and be a fantastic way to launch a career."

Jobs generally last right up until Christmas Eve, with some resource retained into the new year. Employees qualify immediately for the company's 10% employee discount scheme, meaning that in addition to a competitive hourly rate, there's also the possibility of big savings on Christmas shopping.