Food City is readying to revamp six more of the 29 former Bi-Lo supermarkets it acquired in the Chattanooga area, with plans to hire 15 to 25 more employees per store.
If that hiring pattern holds true for the units Food City is rebranding through October, the company could add more than 400 workers.
Stores on Signal Mountain Road, Hixson Pike and Highway 58 are to close this Sunday and reopen as Food City units on Sept. 16, said Tammy Baumgardner, marketing coordinator for the Abingdon, Va.-based chain.
Food City roll out
Next round of store rebranding by location and reopening date:* 4510 Highway 58, Sept. 16* 5604 Hixson Pike, Sept. 16* 703 Signal Mountain Road, Sept. 16* 7804 E. Brainerd Road, Sept. 17* 3715 Ringgold Road, Sept. 17* 3801 Tennessee Ave., Sept. 17Source: Food City
Shoppers push carts down the aisle on the first day of business for the new Food City grocery store Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2015, in Red Bank, Tenn. The store, formerly a Bi-Lo at the intersection of Morrison Springs Road and Dayton Boulevard, was reopened after a three-day turnaround. Also, stores on East Brainerd Road, Tennessee Avenue and Ringgold Road are to close Monday, Sept. 14, and reopen on Sept. 17, she said.
Each stores will add up to 25 more workers, Baumgardner said.
Last week, Food City said it was adding 40 employees to the Red Bank store as it and a Harrison unit became the first of its new supermarkets to debut in the Chattanooga area.
John Jones, Food City's executive vice president, said the company rehired the vast majority of the 2,000-employee workforce at the stores.
"But our business model is probably more service driven," he said. "With service you need people. We're going to put the service in here that customers expect from a Food City store."
The company also has said it plans to invest more than $40 million in capital improvements in the stores' first year.
"We'll evaluate all the stores for renovation," Jones said, adding that he expects the Tennessee Avenue and Harrison stores to undergo the first major remodels.
Food City's entry into the market comes as Wal-Mart today marks the opening of its first Neighborhood Market in Chattanooga. Its new store at 8101 E. Brainerd Road will employ about 95 people, according to the company.
Wal-Mart also is opening such grocery-only stores in Hixson, Brainerd, Middle Valley and Dalton, Ga. A Fort Oglethorpe unit opened earlier.
In addition, on Tuesday, the Wal-Mart superstore on Signal Mountain Road was mentioning Food City in comparison ads for some products.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.