About Sainsbury's
What is Sainsbury's?
Established in 1869 when John James and Mary Ann Sainsbury opened their first store, Sainsbury's has grown into the UK's second-biggest retailer, serving millions of customers across 1,400 supermarkets and convenience stores plus a digital-first sister business. The mission remains the same as it was over 150 years ago: "make good food joyful, accessible and affordable for everyone, every day."
The Sainsbury's family of brands extends far beyond the supermarket: Argos (UK's leading digital retailer with 60,000+ products), Nectar and Nectar 360 (the UK's biggest loyalty programme), Habitat (British design since 1964), Tu (the UK's sixth-largest clothing retailer), Smart Charge (ultra-rapid renewable EV charging) and Sainsbury's Bank (Britain's first supermarket bank).
Where will I work?
148,000+ colleagues work across 1,400 stores, distribution centres, the Holborn Store Support Centre in London (33 Holborn), and a hybrid Coventry hub. Support-function roles are typically hybrid with Smarter Working empowering people to flex their patterns; in-store, logistics and fulfilment roles are by their nature onsite. 60,000+ roles are advertised across operations each year.
What is the Sainsbury's team like?
Three valued behaviours guide everyone across all brands: "Own it" (we do what we say we'll do; we don't walk past problems), "Make it better" (we simplify wherever possible; we improve things for our customers) and "Be human" (we show care and respect to everyone). Leadership behaviours add four more: customer obsession, performance obsession, leading beyond boundaries, and leading fearless teams.
Sainsbury's has held its inclusion focus since 2013 and is the Times Top 50 Employer for Gender Equality (2015, 2022, 2023, 2024), a Disability Confident Leader, and Henpicked-accredited Menopause Friendly Employer. The company partners with Diversity in Retail, Stonewall, and The BDF.
Work-Life Balance
Support-Centre colleagues benefit from Smarter Working — a flexibility framework designed to maximise productivity and two-way flexibility. A key plank is "Smart Weeks", where people are empowered to flex their working patterns to best fit the needs of their busy lives. The full-time schedule is 37.5 hours; staff can compress this into 4 longer days, or reduce hours for proportionally reduced pay.
For wellbeing, Sainsbury's is the only retailer recognised as a Tier 1 employer in the CCLA Corporate Mental Health Benchmark UK100 2024. Colleagues get 24/7 access to an EAP and an online wellbeing platform, plus three or more wellbeing campaigns annually overseen by a dedicated Operating Board Sponsor.
Perks and Benefits
- Pension scheme with employer contribution, auto-enrolment + Step Up option
- Life cover at annual contractual basic pay (enhanced for Step Up pension members)
- 10% colleague discount for you + a nominated second user, across all brands
- Access to hundreds of partner retailer, restaurant, and cinema discounts
- 24/7 EAP + online wellbeing platform (CCLA Tier 1 mental health employer)
- Enhanced family leave — maternity, paternity, adoption + career break options
- Generous holiday allowance + option to buy additional leave
- Apprenticeships, skills bootcamps, leadership development + suite of online learning
- Smarter Working with Smart Weeks — flex your patterns