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(NEWS 3) - Michigan retail giant Meijer is looking to hire more than a thousand new workers in West Michigan. With the opening of three new supercenters this spring, Meijer is looking to increase its employee count by more than 1,300 people. The company is looking to fill positions at locations in Holland Township, Standale west of Grand Rapids, and Gaines Township in southern Kent County. Beginning this month, Meijer will hire 450 workers per store. Beginning Wednesday and continuing for two weeks, applications are being accepted at the Holland Township store. Interviews will be conducted from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. in the Hampton Inn conference room located at 12427 Felch Street in Holland. Meijer plans to open four more stores in the state later this year. February 1, 2005 - 9:11AM GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. Meijer says it plans to hire 27-hundred workers in Michigan this year after eliminating nearly 19-hundred management positions in 2004. The retailer plans to hire 450 workers at each of its new stores in Southfield, Marysville, Standale, Oakland County's White Lake Township, Kent County's Gaines Township and Ottawa County's Holland Township. Meijer also will open a replacement store in Ionia. The company also plans to open stores this year in New Albany (Indiana) and Bloomingdale (Illinois). Meijer began accepting applications for positions ranging from stockers to cashiers to managers at the White Lake Township store. The company will start hiring at each store about three months before it opens. Tuesday, February 8, 2005 By Tenisha Mercer The Detroit News Meijer Inc. is putting out help-wanted signs, looking to hire 2,700 employees throughout Michigan -- a year after cutting nearly 2,000 management positions in five states. Beginning this month, the Grand Rapids-based retailer plans to hire up to 450 employees at six new stores opening in Michigan this year -- including locations in Metro Detroit, White Lake Township and Southfield -- said spokesman John Zimmerman. It's the most ambitious round of hiring by the retailer in years, coming after the chain's largest work force reduction in its 71-year old history last year. Meijer cut about 1,900 positions in January 2004 -- its third reorganization in less than three years -- to reduce costs as it works to fend off growing competition from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and others. Now Meijer is looking to staff the stores with managers, sales clerks, pharmacists and other staffers. The new stores will open in White Lake Township, Southfield, Gaines Township, Holland Township, Marysville and Ionia. Three other stores will open this year, not necessarily in Michigan. Most of the stores are scheduled to open by this summer. "Creating this many jobs in the state at one time is just a tremendous impact that hopefully the state will feel," Zimmerman said. "It's a great opportunity if someone was unfortunate to lose their position" last year. But Grand Rapids retail consultant Steven Cole said cutting nearly 2,000 positions, only to rehire 2,700 more a year later, is a poor strategy. "It doesn't make sense to me," said Cole, who has advised Meijer, Kmart Holding Corp. and Spartan Stores. "They knew darn well they were going to open more stores. To get rid of experienced employees and then turn around a year later and hire more is clearly a costly move. "Companies have to start realizing that saving $10,000 or $20,000 on a less-experienced employee is not smart. The more experienced employees really have more value." Zimmerman did not have specific wage figures, but said the new jobs will pay more than minimum wage and include some union positions. The privately held company does not release sales figures, but trade journal Supermarket News estimated Meijer had $11.9 billion in sales as of Jan. 30. Meijer was among the first pioneers of the supercenter concept, selling groceries and general merchandise in 1962. But large chains such as Target Corp. and Wal-Mart have nibbled away at Meijer's territory, opening stores less than 10 miles away from Meijer locations. Meijer is the 12th largest supermarket chain in the United States, according to Supermarket News. Meijer -- which has 163 stores in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio -- has about 69,000 employees. You can reach Tenisha Mercer at (313) 222-2401 or tmercer@detnews.com. February 8, 2005 BY GRETA GUEST At a time when Michigan jobs are scarce, Meijer Inc. said Monday it would add 2,700 jobs this year at seven new stores around the state. Company spokesman John Zimmerman said the Grand Rapids-based company would start hiring at each store about three months before it opens. On Monday, it began accepting applications for 450 jobs at its White Lake Township store for positions ranging from stockers to cashiers to managers. Interviews are to be conducted this week at the Waterford store, then move next Monday to the White Lake store, which is expected to open in April. Meijer, one of the nation's largest private companies, with more than $11 billion in annual revenue, created the supercenter concept in 1962. The concept combines grocery and general merchandise under one roof. The company also will open two other stores this year, one in Indiana and one in Illinois. Meijer, like other Michigan-based retailers, has had its share of cutbacks in recent years. Competition, primarily from Wal-Mart Stores Inc., forced the retailer to get more frugal. Corporate cost cutting last year included laying off 1,900 salaried workers. But now the company, which operates 163 stores, is back on the growth path. "We started taking a look at our costs and then lowered our costs so we could put lower prices on the shelf," Zimmerman said. "The pace we are on now is for opening eight to nine stores a year. And this is the start of that." Besides the White Lake Township store, Meijer plans to open stores this year in Southfield; Kent County's Standale and Gaines Township; Ottawa County's Holland Township; St. Clair County's Marysville and Ionia County's Ionia, in addition to New Albany, Ind., and Bloomingdale, Ill. The White Lake Township store will be 207,000 square feet and include 35 expanded departments with 200,000 items. The new stores will feature design elements such as wider aisles, dressed up clothing sections, lower shelving and other changes from New York designer and architect David Rothwell. The first concept store opened in Lincoln Park in November. Zimmerman did not give the pay range for the jobs but said pay would vary depending on an applicant's experience and other factors. Health care benefits including dental and optical are provided to both full- and part-time employees. Michigan's unemployment rate in December rose to 7.3 percent, which led the nation along with Alaska. The national rate was 5.4 percent. The state lost about 47,000 jobs in 2004. Some of that loss came from layoffs at local retailers such as Kmart Holding Corp. and Franks Nursery & Crafts Inc. Zimmerman said the company would consider hiring people with other retail experience. "It's always nice to have someone with retail experience, but it isn't necessary. Obviously, in the retail business you have to enjoy servicing others," he said. "And, since we are a growing company, there are so many opportunities with the company." Contact GRETA GUEST at 313-223-4192 or gguest@freepress.com. ***** NEW MEIJER STORES Meijer plans to create about 2,700 jobs in Michigan this year. It started hiring for the new White Lake Township store Monday and needs about 450 people. Hiring through Friday is at the store at 4200 Highland Road, Waterford. After that, the company will accept applications at its new White Lake Township store at 6001 Highland Road. The company is to open six other stores in Michigan this year. Hiring will begin at each store several weeks before opening. All applications must be filed in person. • Standale, Kent County, opens in spring • Gaines Township, Kent County, opens in spring. • Holland Township, Ottawa County, opens in spring • Marysville, St. Clair County, opens in summer • Southfield, Oakland County, opens in summer • Ionia, Ionia County, reopens in summer. This is a replacement store, so current employees stay on and hiring would be minimal. • In addition, Meijer plans new stores in New Albany, Ind., and Bloomingdale, Ill. Source: Meijer Inc.
Meijer hiring hundreds to staff new stores
Retailer to hire 2,700 workers for new Michigan stores
Meijer to hire 2,700 in Mich.
Retailer to open 6 Michigan stores, add staff after 1,900 jobs were cut in 2004.
Meijer plans growth spurt
Retail chain hiring 2,700 workers for 7 new Mich. stores
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