Walmart said Monday it will hire 150 employees for its downtown Honolulu store scheduled to open in the summer.
The big-box giant has opened a temporary hiring center at 627 South St. to fill positions for the Fort Street Mall location, where Macy’s was previously located. The majority of employees will begin working in April to help prepare the store for its grand opening.
Macy’s closed in February 2013.
Walmart’s building permit shows the store will include several grocery isles, a pharmacy, a photo lab, a jewelry counter, an electronics department, a "money center" and a McDonald’s McCafe. The city estimated the value of the renovation work for the building permit at $6 million.
The former Macy’s space is about 85,000 square feet on two floors topped by a five-story parking garage. The size of Walmart Supercenters — stores with a full array of retail and groceries — ranges from 70,000 to 260,000 square feet.
"An expanded workforce and career opportunities for local residents is always good news," Sherry Menor-McNamara, president and chief executive officer of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, said in a statement.
The company said it will offer jobs to qualified veterans who have been honorably discharged within the past 12 months through its Veterans Welcome Home Commitment program. Veterans must be within a year of active duty and meet Walmart’s standard hiring criteria. Veterans can get more information at walmartcareerswithamission.com.
"We are very excited about Walmart entering our downtown Honolulu," Victor Lim, chairman of the Fort Street Mall Business Improvement District, said in a statement. "We at Fort Street Mall Business Improvement District firmly believe that positive business activities and customers in the area brings energy and vitality to our downtown."
Macy’s assumed the downtown space from former kamaaina department store chain Liberty House, which was sold in bankruptcy to the owner of Macy’s in 2001. Liberty House had operated a store on the site since 1982.
Applications will be accepted 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at the hiring center. Interested applicants may also apply online at careers.walmart. com.
