Department store retailer John Lewis has announced plans to cut over 150 jobs in a major revamp across its UK stores.

The group said that the 153 job cuts is to enhance customer service to ensure staff ‘are in the right place, doing the right tasks at the right time’, increasing the time staff can spend face-to-face with customers.

The company said that the job cuts, which will impact 1% of its workforce, will be achieved through voluntary redundancy and natural attrition.

The changes in staff will see currently separate roles for front and back of house merge into one to enable more staff on the shop floor.

Furthermore, the business plans to invest in technology to boost its in-store customer service, with £5m to be spent on digital headsets to improve communication among store workers.

A spokesperson for John Lewis stated: “We’re seeking to make sure partners are in the right place at the right time to help customers. We’re also removing unnecessary tasks and introducing new technology to make their roles easier.

“We carried out similar changes in Waitrose earlier this year, with customer and partner feedback increasing significantly since. It’s since been ranked the number one supermarket for customer satisfaction.”