Companies will fill 450 jobs for grand openings in April
February 16, 2008
Two major national retailers will create 450 new jobs in Metro Detroit as they prepare for April openings of stores in Clinton and Canton townships.
Nordstrom plans to hire 300 workers for its new store opening April 18 at The Mall at Partridge Creek in Clinton Township, according to company spokeswoman Nichole Shell.
Kohl's is seeking 150 employees for its second store in Canton. Its opening date in April hasn't been set yet.
The new jobs are a bright spot for a state and region mired in an economic slump unmatched in recent decades.
Michigan's unemployment rate of 7.6 percent is the highest in the nation. Even as the ranks of the jobless have grown, the number of jobs available has shrunk, especially in the higher-wage auto industry.
High demand for gainful employment has been evident in the flocks of people that have attended a handful of retail job fairs in Metro Detroit in the past year.
Local economists said any new jobs should be viewed as good news.
"New paid jobs in a market where there's problems with expansion have to be regarded as a good thing," said Jeff Stoltman, an economic analyst and associate professor at Wayne State University in Detroit. "The alternative is you have more people leaving. At this point, any job growth is a positive sign."
Nordstrom and Kohl's are looking primarily for frontline retail workers, for the sales floor, customer service, stocking and support.
"We're ultimately looking to hire great sellers who are friendly, passionate about fashion, results-oriented and have a genuine interest in taking care of our customers," said Emily Paley, who manages the Partridge Creek Nordstrom.
Paley and some other managers were moved to the Partridge Creek store from other Nordstrom locations in the United States.
The store will be the retailer's third in Michigan.
It also has stores at Troy's Somerset Collection and Novi's Twelve Oaks Mall, along with two Nordstrom Rack stores in Troy and Grand Rapids.
Kohl's second Canton store -- it also has one on Ford Road just west of I-275 -- is in the soon-to-be-completed Crossroads Village shopping complex at the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Beck Road.
It is part of an ambitious Kohl's expansion plan to add more than 400 locations by 2012. Kohl's operates stores in 43 Michigan cities.
The two retailers' expansion in Metro Detroit comes in the wake of decisions by two others to close Metro Detroit stores.
The Value City chain of department stores will close five locations in the area, while Cost Plus World Market is liquidating inventory at all six of its suburban Detroit stores.
They are among numerous retailers who have pared expansion plans and closed less profitable stores as consumers nationwide pull back on their spending.
But even with the soft retail market, Kohl's and Nordstrom should do just fine, retail analysts said.
Stoltman noted that Value City suffered because its lower-income customers have been particularly squeezed by Michigan's economic slowdown.
And Birmingham-based retail consultant Ed Nakfoor noted Kohl's and Nordstrom are fundamentally strong retailers.
"They have proven themselves popular in a number of markets, and they're smart about where they're going," he said.
"Nordstrom in particular isn't going to go somewhere where it won't be successful."
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