More than 250 jobs are up for grabs as supermarket-chain Sobeys prepares to open a new location in London.
In order to fill those positions, Sobeys officials are holding a job fair on Thursday from 10am-8pm at the Riverside United Church at 695 Riverside Dr.
The demand for such a great number of employees is due to the store's specialty nature, explains Monika Strzalkowska, communications specialist for Sobeys Ontario.
“This store is really quite special, and we think that the London community should be really excited for it,” says Strzalkowska.
The new location at Oxford St. and Wonderland Rd. will be London's first Sobeys extra. Currently, there are only eight Sobeys extra stores across the country.
On top of typical grocery store amenities, the new location will have specialized departments to suit a host of unique customer needs.
“We’re hiring people like ‘cheese ambassadors’, who will help you get that great, perfect cheese to go with your bottle of wine for dinner tonight,” says Strzalkowska.
Sobeys believes that the store fits a niche that Londoners have been looking for, says Bob Green, current manager of Sobeys in North London, and soon-to-be manager of the new location.
“Over the 15 years that I’ve been involved in this store, we’ve had numerous customers asking when we would be opening another store in London,” says Green.
Sobeys officials at the job fair will be looking for applicants with a wide range of skills.
“When it comes to the specialized positions departments, obviously we’re looking for experience in some of the specialty departments throughout the store,” says Green. “There’s going to be a tremendous opportunity for not just students, but other people in the workplace.”
But Strzalkowska says the ideal candidate will be both food-focused and customer-focused.
The new Sobeys extra location is expected to open early this fall.
**This story was written by Samuel Gallant. Samuel is a student in the Fanshawe College broadcast journalism program. He is performing a summer internship with Blackburn News.**
