Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions will hire more than 1,400 part- and full-time employees in Southern California over the next few months, including at least 300 in Orange County, the company said Monday.
The chain will hire employees in its customer service, bakery and deli sections, among other jobs.
“Business demand is driving our hiring,” said Carlos Illingworth, a company spokesman.
In addition to the 300 or more jobs in Orange County, the company also plans to add 479 positions at its stores in Los Angeles, 75 in Long Beach and 152 in the Inland Empire.
The chain will hold open interviews from July 27 to Aug. 3 between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. at stores in Los Angeles, Orange County and Long Beach. The Orange County stores with open interviews are:
• Albertsons, 2300-C Harbor Blvd, Costa Mesa (Tuesday July 28)
• Albertsons, 27702 Crown Valley Parkway Suite B, Ladera Ranch (Saturday, Aug. 1)
Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions operate 339 stores and employs around 30,000 people in Southern California.
Albertsons merged with Safeway, the parent company of Vons and Pavilions, earlier this year.
When the two joined, they sold 168 stores to satisfy federal regulators. Haggen nabbed 146 of the Safeway/Albertsons-owned stores, including 11 in Orange County.
Shortly after opening Orange County stores, the company reduced prices on many items in response to consumer complaints that they were too high.
In mid-July the store announced that it would lay off hundreds of employees, saying the move was to ensure the company operated “as efficiently as possible.”
Greg Conger, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 324 in Buena Park – which represents local workers at Haggen – said six to ten courtesy clerks at each of Haggen’s Orange County stores would be laid off and numerous full-time employees demoted to part-time.
Conger said the union filed a grievance on behalf of the full-time staffers whose hours were cut.
And last week Haggen had more bad news: Albertsons sued it for more than $41 million in inventory that had changed hands when Haggen purchased the Safeway/Albertsons-owned stores.
In a civil complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Albertsons contends it is owed roughly $41 million for inventory at 32 stores Haggen bought in June.
Contact the writer: hmadans@ocregister.com or Twitter: @HannahMadans
