About The Role
Our Industrial Placement Programme within Store Concept Design for Waitrose & Partners will make you see retail in a new light. Our unique partnership difference and approach to business will enable you to get the most out of your placement year. The placements combine hands‑on experience with real projects and you will also receive relevant on‑the‑job training.
In the Store Concept Design role, you will create design solutions for our food‑loving customers, including interiors, equipment, and graphical solutions for new in‑store developments across all Waitrose Formats – Core, Convenience, Home, Hospitality, E‑commerce, and B2B – ensuring designs are optimised through the quality of the in‑store environment and commercial effectiveness of the store.
You will have the opportunity to translate the skills and knowledge you have learnt from your studies into the workplace and develop personally and professionally in concept visualisation, working with suppliers and trades, and working within an in‑house creative team.
In addition to your contractual pay, any time worked between 22:00‑06:00 will attract Night Premium at a rate of £3.50 per hour, also applying to existing Partners on Enhanced Hours Premium arrangements.
Responsibilities
* Work collaboratively with the Store Concept Design team on design and delivery of industry‑leading interior design concepts, optimising design, planning, space utilisation, and cost‑efficiency.
* Assisting with the development and delivery of new world‑class design concepts by translating concept briefs into design solutions, including interiors, finishes, signage & equipment.
* Briefing internal & external design resources—design agencies, copywriters, equipment/signage suppliers, and graphics teams—to deliver creative, cost‑effective, scalable retail design concepts and signage solutions that meet the brief.
Essential Skills & Experience
* Studying an undergraduate degree at university.
* Planning to take a year out in the industry starting July 2026.
* Currently studying a design‑related degree.
Desirable Skills & Experience
* Good understanding of the design process.
* Experience sharing design insight.
* Working experience with AutoCAD, InDesign, SketchUp, Photoshop or similar.
* Understanding of balancing commercial and customer requirements.
*As part of this application, we will need to see your portfolio. Please include a link to your portfolio within your CV, or attach it at the same time as your CV to your application.*
Please Note
* Interviews will take place in March 2026.
* The placement will start in July 2026.
* We will only accept one application for any of the Partnership Industrial Placement schemes. If you apply for more than one scheme, we will take the first application we receive. Subsequent applications will be automatically withdrawn.
* Please print off the job description now, as you will be unable to view it once the vacancy has closed.
The Partnership
We’re the largest employee‑owned business in the UK and home to our cherished brands, 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 are never knowingly undersold on price, quality, and service in John Lewis and passionately serve food‑lovers in Waitrose.
As Partners, we all share the responsibility of ownership and its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours, and treating everyone with kindness and respect.
We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our 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.
*It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre‑employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process. We encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third‑party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.*
*We occasionally close vacancies early in the event we receive a high volume of applications. Therefore, we recommend you apply early. If you require a reasonable adjustment due to a disability which means you may need longer to complete your application, please let us know as soon as possible.*
*We want all of our Partners to have a good work‑life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing, or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview.*
#J-18808-Ljbffr