High street giant John Lewis has launched a major drive to find 750 new staff for its flagship Westfield store.

The firm, along with Waitrose and Marks & Spencer, is one of three anchor tenants at the Stratford City development.

Its 240,000 sq ft store will be the largest in the new centre — and the first new London department store that John Lewis has opened for 20 years.

Noel Saunders, the Stratford branch’s managing director, said: “New jobs are what everyone is calling for in these challenging times and I am thrilled to launch this major recruitment campaign for our new Stratford shop.

“I started as a cashier in a John Lewis dining room more than 30 years ago and have since then developed a rewarding long-term career with the partnership.

“This opportunity will now be open to everyone who will join our new team at Stratford.”

The firm is spending �35 million on the Stratford store and the recruitment of the hundreds of new staff will bring the number of people it employs in London to more than 10,000. The figure currently stands at 9,800.