MORE THAN 820 people have applied for just 300 jobs at Chelmsford’s new John Lewis, store managers have revealed.

The new store, which is part of the city’s long-awaited Bond Street development, kicked off its recruitment drive at the end of April but has already been flooded with applications hoping to nab one of its 300 jobs.

Working alongside Chelmsford’s JobCentre, which joined forces with the company to tackle unemployment levels in the city, John Lewis received HUNDREDS of runners put their best foot forward to take part in the ten- and two-mile Great Baddow Charity Races in aid of Chelmsford charities. See more pictures on page 8.

applications from hundreds of people for the full-time and part-time positions advertised by the store, which will be the first John Lewis branch to open in Essex.

Laura Rawstron Branch Manager at John Lewis Chelmsford, said: “We received an exceptional level of interest for roles at our Chelmsford shop and I’m very encouraged by this incredible response from the local community.

“This has to be one of the most popular recruitment campaigns I’ve seen and at one point during the process we were receiving one application every ten minutes.

“My focus will now be on assessing and selecting candidates to build the ideal team for the first John Lewis in Essex.”

She added: “We’re very proud that every John Lewis shop possesses a unique, local identity and Chelmsford is no different.

“We always aim to recruit our hard working, enthusiastic employees directly from the local community and I look forward to meeting the fantastic team who will launch the first John Lewis in Essex in September.”

Although the recruitment process means shoppers are one stage closer to stepping foot inside John Lewis, no date has yet been set for the official opening of the store or the rest of the Bond Street development.