(Bloomberg)—Nordstrom Inc. wants to hire 13,650 workers to help meet seasonal demand as it heads into the crucial holiday period, with at least 2,000 to assist with e-commerce operations.
When the company, No. 17 in the Internet Retailer 2017 Top 500, put a buyout deal on hold earlier this month, management vowed to focus on the holiday season instead. It’s now the latest department-store chain to boost employment even as the industry moves to cut costs and slim down operations amid a deepening migration to online shopping.
J.C. Penney Co. (No. 33) and Macy’s Inc. (No.6) have also announced plans to hire thousands of seasonal workers.
Nordstrom’s hiring goal this year is 20% higher than 2016’s. In addition to staff at its namesake and Rack stores, Nordstrom is looking for workers at fulfillment and distribution centers to support e-commerce: 2,000 positions at its fulfillment centers in Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Elizabethtown, Pa.; and San Bernardino, Calif.; and its distribution centers in Portland, Ore.; Dubuque, Iowa; Ontario, Calif.; Newark, Calif.; Gainesville, Fla.; and Upper Marlboro, Md.
Department stores are beefing up their websites and trying new store formats to counteract a persistent sales slump. Nordstrom’s controlling family members have sought to sidestep investor concerns about the industry (which have sparked stock declines) by taking the company private. But those efforts were put on hold for the rest of 2017 after banks’ financing offers were deemed too expensive.
