Giant Eagle hiring 500 workers for new Carmel store

Giant Eagle, the newest player in the Central Indiana grocery landscape, is looking for more than 500 people to work as cashiers, culinary chefs, bakers, caterers and other positions at its brand-new, upscale Market District store in Carmel.

The company is inviting job candidates to attend a "hiring event" from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on June 6 at the Sheraton Indianapolis Hotel at Keystone Crossing.

Applicants can learn more about the company and positions. The company declined to discuss wages for the openings, except to say they will be competitive. The jobs will be a mix of full-time and part-time, as well as management and hourly positions.

Workers without grocery or retail experience can apply for many of the positions, said Mike Maraldo, regional vice president of company operations.

"We are looking for people who are authentic, engaging, extroverted and love to build relationships," he said. "We want people who love being around food."

The Carmel store will part of the The Bridges, a commercial development at 116th and Spring Mill Road, just west of Meridian Street and near IU Health North Hospital. It will be the first Giant Eagle store in Indiana. The next closest Market District store is in the Columbus, Ohio suburb of Upper Arlington.

The store will open this fall, but the company plans to hire workers in mid-July for paid training, leading into the store opening.

Giant Eagle, based in Pittsburgh, is pushing into a fiercely competitive market here, where national and regional supermarket chains, such as Wal-Mart, Kroger, Marsh and Meijer, compete with a growing assortment of smaller, boutique stores, including Whole Foods, Fresh Thyme and Trader Joe's.

Call Star reporter John Russell at (317) 444-6283 and follow him on Twitter @johnrussell99.