The John Lewis Partnership has told staff it is proposing around 1,000 redundancies across its department stores and Waitrose supermarkets.

The company said the shake-up will take place as part of a simplification of store management.

It comes after a raft of recent job cuts, which included the closure of eight John Lewis stores earlier this year, in a bid to secure £300 million in savings by 2023.

The brand has a John Lewis store in Chelmsford and Waitrose supermarkets in Colchester, Billericay, Southend and Leigh. 

It also has Little Waitrose stores at petrol stations across the county. 

A John Lewis Partnership spokesperson said: “We have announced to our partners our intention to simplify our management structures in Waitrose and John Lewis stores, which will allow us to reinvest in what matters most to our customers.”