Target Canada now hiring for 2013 launch

August 30, 2011Comments on this story  (8)
DANA FLAVELLE
Target Canada is starting to staff up its operations in anticipation of opening its first 135 stores in Canada in March 2013.
The Canadian division of the second largest U.S. retailer launched a careers website on Monday at target.ca/careers.
The company plans to hire “tens of thousands” of Canadians, including 150 to 200 employees per store.
That’s roughly 50 per cent more than are employed at the Zellers’ stores it is replacing, said Bryan Berg, Target Canada’s senior vice-president of stores.
The company is entering the market by buying up the leaseholds on 220 Zellers’ stores for $1.82 billion, though it may not set up shop in all those locations. It has already sold some of the leaseholds to Wal-Mart Canada Corp.
Zellers employees will be given the same consideration as other job applicants, the company said.
So far, Target Canada has posted mainly higher level jobs, such as There are senior buyer, merchandise planning manager, business analyst and district team leader as the retailer builds up its Canadian infrastructure.
So far, the company has hired 35 Canadians, mainly in senior positions. About 20 have started working with executives from the U.S. retailer.
Target expects to employ 500 people in its head office in Mississauga.
Canadian wage rates and employment laws are “more similar than different” than those in the U.S., Berg said.
“They’re pretty much in line with what our expectations have been,” he said. “We haven’t found any big surprises to date.”
“Our goal in the U.S. is to be very competitive in the marketplace. We pride ourselves on having one of the best compensation packages in the (retail) industry,” said Tiffany Monroe, vice-president human resources for Target Canada.
About 50 positions are open, but more are coming.
“There will be ongoing job opportunities that will get posted over the coming months,” Monroe said. “People can sign up for alerts. It’s very similar to the way we do hiring in the U.S.”
Both Berg and Monroe came to Target Canada from its U.S. operations.
With 70 per cent awareness among Canadian consumers, of whom 30,000 already hold a Target U.S. credit card, the chain is expected to have a huge impact on the Canadian retail landscape.
Within a decade, the company expects to be generating $6 billion a year in sales.