STAFF at the Waitrose store in Cheltenham had smiles on their faces yesterday as the supermarket paid out bonuses to the entire workforce.

With many businesses in the UK preparing to tighten their belts even more, the John Lewis Partnership has announced a 15 per cent bonus package for all 520 staff at Waitrose in Cheltenham.

One of the employees who will benefit from the payout will be wine specialist Brian Koschalka.

He is planning to use his bonus to fly himself and his two granddaughters to his son's wedding in Australia.

Brian said: "This year I wanted to do something really special with my bonus, so I decided to put it towards attending my son's wedding in Australia.

"I am delighted to also be taking my two grand-daughters, Sophia and Nena, who are going to be flower girls on the day.

"It is wonderful to see the excitement on their faces and it will be great for all the family to be together on this very special occasion."

Nick Sherry, who has worked in the shop's wine department for six years, is looking to build on the skills he has acquired at Waitrose by putting his bonus towards funding a foundation degree in wine production.

Supermarket assistants Jamie Stephens, James Carlyle and Sean Cullen are planning to spend their bonuses on an adventurous trip to New York to see the sights of the Big Apple.

Charlie Mayfield, chairman of the John Lewis Partnership, said: "Partners have shown tremendous commitment during changing times.

"I am delighted our partners will share fairly in the financial rewards of a successful year with a partnership bonus of £151.3 million.

"This means all our 70,000 partners will receive a bonus of 15 per cent of their salary, equivalent to nearly eight weeks' pay."

Waitrose also announced yesterday that its gross sales were up £375.9 million to £4.5 billion in the year ending January 2010.

The organisation opened 25 new shops in 2009 and launched more than 1,400 new products in the Essential range.