Kroger to hire 600 workers in North Texas

Kroger Co. is looking to hire 600 workers in North Texas as the grocery store operator continues to expand.

The Cincinnati-based company said it will hold job fairs at all of its stores from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The job fairs is part of a hiring spree nationwide as Kroger aims to hire 14,000 workers across the country. Applications are also available online at jobs.kroger.com.

“We are looking for people who are passionate about making a difference for customers and communities — and want to do it in a fun, team environment with great benefits and advancement opportunities,” said Tim Massa, Kroger’s group vice president of human resources.

Many of the openings are for part-time associates who bag groceries, stock shelves or ring up items at the cash register.

Of the 600 North Texas hires, 260 will be in Tarrant County, Kroger spokeswoman April Martin Nickels said.

The company plans to open five new stores in the Metroplex this year.

Kroger opened a Kroger Marketplace on 1250 North Preston Road in Prosper in March. A store at North Tarrant Parkway and Ray White Road in north Fort Worth will open in the summer, and Fort Worth stores at North Old Decatur Road and West Bailey Boswell Road and 1653 Basswood Blvd. are expected to open in the fall. A store in Rockwall is planned to open by year’s end.

The Kroger Co., based in Cincinnati, has nearly 2,800 stores, including Baker’s, Pay Less and King Soopers. The company says it created 9,000 new jobs last year and 20,000 new jobs in 2014.

This report includes material from The Associated Press.

This story was originally published May 11, 2016 at 4:33 PM with the headline "Kroger to hire 600 workers in North Texas."