Dive Brief:

• Stop & Shop is holding job fairs to fill over 250 part-time positions for its Peapod Warerooms to support its pick-up and delivery channels, according to a press release, including driver and clerk positions.
• Job fairs will take place across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York and Rhode Island on Saturday, Sept. 21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Part-time employees at Stop & Shop work from 12 to 28 hours per week and receive paid training, competitive pay, discounts, paid time off and career advancement opportunities.

Dive Insight:

Stop & Shop continues to focus on ramping up its online offerings, announcing the opening of a number of automated micro-fulfillment centers after launching its first one in Hartford, Connecticut. Parent company Ahold Delhaize, which is investing in a supply chain innovation arm has said that the company is on track to meet its goal of 20% e-commerce growth in the U.S. for 2019 and is optimistic about potentially reaching 30% growth next year. 

"These Peapod Wareroom positions are vital to ensuring that our new and expanding pickup and delivery services are successful," Dean Wilkinson, the company e-commerce lead, said in the statement.

To maintain momentum on e-commerce, Stop & Shop also recently launched a “Free-Days” promo that provides free products to Stop & Shop rewards app users if they claim it on the app within two days and pick it up within two weeks. 

In addition to staff to support its digital operations, the retailer is bolstering its in-store employees, recently holding a hiring fair to fill over 1,000 part-time positions, spread across Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York stores. The positions are aimed at improving customer service. 

Despite its e-commerce growth, Stop & Shop faced an ongoing dispute with its union workers that culminated in an 11-day strike in April resulting in a $90 to $110 million impact on underlying profits. The bad publicity from the strike may not bode well for its hiring efforts. The mid-Atlantic is also one of the most saturated and competitive grocery landscapes, as stores compete for both customers and workers.

If the micro-fulfillment centers prove successful, the company could scale them across other banners including Food Lion, which recently launched grocery pickup, and Giant. The centers have a small footprint that allows them to squeeze into densely populated urban areas, unlike competitor Ocado’s fulfillment centers that take two to three years to construct.