JOHN Lewis staff are celebrating a windfall after an 11 per cent bonus was announced by the firm – but they had to work to find out the magic number.

A special event for the announcement saw staff at the John Lewis at Home store, in Telford Way, jumping into a ball-pit to find the golden bonus ball – with the finder given the plum job of opening the envelope which revealed the news.

They joined more than 90,000 John Lewis and Waitrose staff celebrating the bonus – even though it has dropped for the second year in a row. Staff received 15 per cent last year and 17 per cent the year before.

The 11 per cent bump would see someone on £20,000 receive a £2,200 bonus, while someone on £26,000 would pocket £2,860.

The bonus was unveiled after a countdown led by branch manager Kate Connock, who told the 125 staff: “This is an expression of the contribution you have made and the dedication you have shown.”

Over the five years the Swindon site has traded, previous bonus challenges have included the details being hidden in fortune cookies and party poppers.

Speaking afterwards, Kate, who plans to spend her bonus on a tropical getaway, said: “This is a definite highlight of the year, we’ve had people coming in on their days off to be here. The staff put in so much effort and today is about recognising that hard work and dedication.

“We’re still performing well even though Waitrose has a lot of competition in its space.”

And employees are excitedly planning what they will do with the bonus.

Kayleigh Haigh, from Grange Park, has worked at the store for 10 months and plans to splash the cash on a new car. She said: “I was really excited when I woke up this morning, there was this anticipation.

“All we were told was that we had to wear trousers so there was a really fun vibe around the day – everyone got stuck in.”

The staff were also treated to a gourmet breakfast, complete with cava, after the news, before trading began at 10am.

The John Lewis Partnership, which is owned by employees of the two retail chains, reported pre-tax profits before exceptional items of £342.7 million for the 53 weeks to January 31, down nine per cent. Stripping out the last week of trading to compare with last year’s 52-week figures, profits were down by 10.5 per cent.

The group said the partnership bonus of £156.2 million, which applies to 93,800 staff, was equivalent to nearly six weeks’ pay.