Kroger to hire more than 800 in Virginia during COVID-19 crisis

Kroger Mid-Atlantic, which owns grocery stores in Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio, has more than 1,500 immediate openings — 825 of which are in Virginia, Kroger corporate affairs manager Allison McGee says.

The mid-Atlantic division has already hired more than 500 people — including people from the restaurant and hospitality industries — to keep up with demand. Kroger Mid-Atlantic has more than 100 stores and typically employs approximately 14,000 people. 

Kroger and its affiliates have hired 23,500 people during the coronavirus outbreak and plan to hire 20,000 more during the next several weeks, working with other companies — including Frisch’s, Marriott International, McLane Foodservice, Shamrocks Food, Sodexo and others to hire their employees. 

Kroger has been using an expedited hiring process to shorten the time between application and employment. The new average onboarding time for new hires is now 72 hours.

“Our top priority continues to be uplifting our associates and serving our communities when they need us the most, whether that’s by ensuring customers always can find food and products on our shelves or by providing a nearly immediate job opportunity to help an unemployed person to begin working again,” McGee says.

Last week, Lidl US — the grocery chain based in Arlington — announced it was hiring up to 1,000 temporary employees in its 95 stores and distribution centers for at least two months. New employees without health insurance will be immediately eligible for medical benefits through CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, the company said in a news release, including no-cost COVID-19 testing. Current employees, both full- and part-time, also can receive the coverage.

Lidl has 95 stores on the East Coast and is active in 32 countries.