McCORDSVILLE — Meijer opens on the west side of the county this spring, and with it comes hundreds of new jobs.
The company recently announced it plans to hire 300 people to fill various positions ranging from cake decorators to cashiers at its highly anticipated new store on Broadway Street. The company is also opening a new store in Franklin, which is expected to create 300 jobs as well.
The store, slated to open this spring, will be open 24/7 and will sell groceries, clothing and home goods. It won’t only bring new jobs to the area; it’ll also fill a gap in retail options and could spur economic development, town officials say.
Meijer, a privately owned company, operates more than 230 stores and employs more than 70,000 people in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and Kentucky, according to the corporate website.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryOfficials from Meijer announced plans in 2015 to build a 193,000-square-foot store and gas station at the southeast corner of Broadway and Carroll Road in McCordsville. Construction on the 35-acre site began last year, and town officials say the store should open at the beginning of May.
In a news release, company officials said they’re looking for employees to fill openings in every department. Positions listed on the corporate website for McCordsville include pharmacist, store detective, cake decorator, meat cutter, pharmacy technician and receiving clerk.
Starting pay will be based on the employee’s experience and skills, the news release states. Employees will be paid weekly and will also have access to health insurance options plus other benefits, the release states. Pay ranges have not been released.
Applications are being accepted now online at jobs.meijer.com. Interviews for positions will be scheduled in coming weeks, the news release states.
The project has been on the books for years, and town officials and residents say they’re eager for the store to open.
The company purchased the property at Broadway Street and Carroll Road more than a decade ago. In 2007, as the economy crashed, store officials pulled plans to build on the land, town officials say.
The proposal to open in the growing town was revisited a few years ago, and the store received final approval to build in 2015.
Now with 300 new jobs on the way, town officials say they hope many of the employees hired will be McCordsville and Hancock County residents.
They also hope the project has a broader positive impact on economic development in the area.
Along with the grocery store, the site also has three lots available for lease to other companies.
Galbraith said she hopes Meijer will spur development along West Broadway Street in McCordsville. The area surrounding the Meijer site is largely undeveloped now.
“I really do think it will be a catalyst for economic development along Broadway,” she said.
The store will also help keep residents close to home; right now, residents have to drive out of town to do their grocery shopping, said McCordsville town manager Tonya Galbraith.
Some residents choose to shop at grocery stores in Greenfield, while others head to the Fishers or Indianapolis area. Either way, they’re driving several miles.
That means any time a resident stops at the grocery store, McCordsville is missing out on business, Galbraith said.
“You want people shopping in your municipality,” she said. “People will actually be able to shop and spend money in town.”
