Joseph Malan, The News-Dispatch
MICHIGAN CITY - Big R Stores, a regional retail chain, is hiring employees for the store it is opening here this summer.
The store will be moving into the old Walmart building at 4301 Franklin St., which was vacated in March last year. The new Big R will bring around 60 jobs to Michigan City.
Jerald Sherman, CFO of Big R Stores and co-owner of the new Michigan City store, said he is looking for people with managerial experience in retail to apply.
From there, the company will begin to hire cashiers, stockers and salespeople for the store's many departments 30 days before opening.
"We have a goal of being open mid-July, no later than Aug. 1," Sherman said.
Kevin Kieft, business development manager for the Michigan City Economic Development Corp., said Friday he and others at the MCEDC are thrilled about the news.
"It's a real positive for Michigan City to have this happen," he said.
The old Walmart building occupies approximately 114,000 square feet. That would make the Michigan City Big R the largest store in the chain, larger than Warsaw's (110,000), Crawfordsville's (98,000) or Wabash's (94,000).
"I've actually had my eye on that property for five years," Sherman said. "We liked the demographics and it works well (with our logistics)."
Sherman said a deal for the property was finished in early February. Walmart, which was still leasing the property, terminated its lease from Inland Real Estate Group Inc., Oakbrook, Ill. Big R Stores then purchased the property from Inland.
Big R sells a variety of products, from Carhartt clothing to lawn and garden supplies to electrical, paint and plumbing products. Other departments include animal care, sporting goods and pet supplies.
Big R has stores six locations in Illinois and will have four in Indiana, including Michigan City. The company is headquartered in Watseka, Ill.
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