Bosses at John Lewis have announced they will recruit thousands of temporary workers ahead of the Christmas period.

The department store, which has a store in All Saints Green in Norwich, is looking to employ 7,000 people to cope with the increase in demand, 2,000 more staff than last year.

Staff will be given free food and drink by the company to "help ensure we can attract the help we need."

The announcement follows the decision in March to close eight of its stores across the country.

Nikki Humphrey, people director at the John Lewis Partnership, said: "We know that as the first Christmas after lockdown, customers will want to make it really special and we're throwing everything we can into helping them celebrate - our festive team will have a crucial role to play.

"We are looking for people who can deliver extraordinary service to help customers get what they need to celebrate.

"We look forward to welcoming people into our team across the country."

The new hires will be spread across the chains Waitrose supermarkets and John Lewis department stores, as well as fulfilment centres and delivery drivers.

It is not yet clear how many of the temporary staff will be based at the Norwich store. The John Lewis Partnership has been approached for a comment.