Nordstrom Hiring 400 Staff, Including 30 Managers, for 2nd Canadian Store

Photo: Nordstrom

Nordstrom is hiring management and staff for its new Ottawa store, the second to open in Canada. In total, about 30 managers and over 350 additional staff will be hired for the Rideau Centre location, scheduled to open March 6th, 2015. Management jobs were posted on Nordstrom's website yesterday, and hiring will begin in late August. Hiring for associates will follow thereafter. 

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Management positions are available in a variety of store departments, including womenswear, menswear, footwear, children's wear, accessories/jewelry and cosmetics. Support positions are also available in alterations, housekeeping and shipping/logistics as well as positions in the store's new restaurant and coffee bar (called eBar).

A variety of departments will be present in Ottawa's Nordstrom, from the affordable to the luxurious. For example, the Ottawa store will hoast the company's priciest womenswear department, called Collectors, featuring the world's top designers and prices into the thousands. Three footwear departments will carry shoes from the modestly priced to the extravagant, and a variety of pricepoints will also be found in its menswear, jewelry and women's handbags departments. 

Nordstrom's 157,000 sq ft Ridea Centre store will occupy levels 2 and 3 of the mall's former Sears store. Image adapted from Nordstrom rendering. 

As an extra perk, Nordstrom managers will receive a 33% discount on merchandise, on top of their usual salary and benefits. Nordstrom's supplemental benefits package includes vision, dental and medical options, as well as an RRSP matching program. 

"We're looking to hire service-oriented Ottawans who love fashion and working with customers, and have leadership and or management experience," said Nordstrom's new Ottawa store manager, John Banks. "Nordstrom is a great place to build a career in retail. Canada is a new frontier for us and there will be opportunities to grow with the company as we expand and open stores across Canada."

In the United States, Nordstrom usually picks 'proven leaders' from its stores to become department managers. For its Ottawa store, however, Nordstrom has taken a slightly different approach. Instead of promoting existing staff, Nordstrom is seeking out Canadian talent. For about three months, between October and December, new hires will be temporarily moved to Seattle to be immersed in Nordstrom's corporate culture. Housing, food and transportation will be provided by Nordstrom. Once trained at the Seattle flagship, department managers may begin recruiting staff for their Ottawa store location.

Rendering of Rideau Centre's Nordstrom. Photo: Rideau Centre

Rideau Centre's 157,000 square foot Nordstrom store is currently under construction. Occupying the second and third levels of a former 240,000 square foot Sears store, Ottawa's Nordstrom will anchor the increasingly upscale Rideau Centre. The mall's second anchor will be La Maison Simons, which will occupy 105,000 square feet in a northeastern mall expansion. Simons is set to open in August of 2016.

Department managers will begin hiring store staff for Ottawa's Nordstrom in December of this year. Applicants can create an online profile at: www.careers.nordstrom.com.

Today's retail news from around the web: July 25, 2014