Stew Leonard's new Clifton store looking to hire 100 employees before grand opening

CLIFTON — Stew Leonard's is hiring for its new store coming to the city's Styertowne Shopping Center.

Set to open by late spring, the regional supermarket will be looking to hire 100 employees at its job fair on Saturday. It will be held at the Stew Leonard's store in Paramus.

The store expects to have around 300 employees in all by the time it is in operation. It has already hired about two-thirds of the full-time and part-time workers needed.

Company officials said they know the current labor market is tough but won't drop their standards. Spokesperson Meghan Bell said experience is not always necessary, but a great attitude and a willingness to learn and grow are.

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"We hire nice people," Bell said. "We cannot teach people to provide excellent customer service."

Company officials are quick to point out that Stew Leonard's has been named to Fortune magazine’s Best Companies to Work For list for 10 consecutive years.

The new store will occupy 56,000 square feet of the 210,000-square-foot Styertowne Shopping Center, owned by George Jacobs. It will be the chain's eighth location, said Stew Leonard Jr., CEO and son of the founder of the supermarket chain, who died last April.

The family-owned company was founded in 1969 and has seven stores in Connecticut, New York and Paramus.

"We like Clifton's diverse and dense population," Leonard said.

The company, known for developing its management team from existing employees, said four out of five of its managers at the new store were promoted from within.

The store will be looking to hire cashiers, entry-level employees, skilled butchers, fishmongers and chefs.

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Saturday's job fair runs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Interested candidates who are age 18 or older are asked to fill out an online application via stewleonards.com/work-at-stews.

The first 100 job fair attendees will receive an on-the-spot interview if they have first filled out the online form. The starting salary for entry-level positions is $16 per hour, said the company's Human Resources Manager Gina Kinsley. For skilled positions, the salary starts at $20 per hour.

Stew Leonard’s benefits for full-time and part-time employees include 401(k) savings and retirement, paid family and personal time, profit sharing, appreciation picnics and lunches, and a scholarship program.

Although the store's opening is still weeks away, Bell said, new employees will begin training almost immediately.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Stew Leonard's new Clifton store looks to hire 100 employees