STORY, VIDEO and PHOTOS by JOHN ANDERSON
When the Wellsville Sun broke the news a new Runnings store was coming to Wellsville in the old Kmart building, there was a lot of excitement for the products and excitement for new jobs.
On Tuesday, the job excitement his a new level as hundreds attended a job fair at the new location which will be open in Spring of 2023.
Runnings is looking to hire full-time employees including management to part-time employees.
There were 55 cars in the parking lot early in the morning and a steady steam of interested potential employees all day. The job fair was scheduled from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Applicants who turned in their information in the morning have already been called back for second interviews the same day.
The retail chain (58 stores) said they offer health and life insurance, a 401k plan with a match and employees receive “generous employee discounts.”
The entire store has been painted and work is being done on the outside in anticipation of the sign going up.
When the Wellsville Sun broke the story, Brad Whitford, President of L.C Whitford Company, said, “As we looked at our plans for the plaza, we felt that an important piece of the expansion was finding a strong retail partner for the building. We’re very excited to finally have Runnings on board. It will be a momentous thing for Wellsville.”
The building, located on 121 Bolivar Road, sits on five acres of land, and has been empty since 2018 when Kmart closed its doors. Runnings has a long-standing history of purchasing vacant retail stores and renovating them to serve the needs of new customers.
ABOUT RUNNINGS
Celebrating its 75th year of business, Runnings and has grown from its early days as an automotive supply and farm store to a large general merchandise retailer selling an extensive selection of sporting goods, clothing, pet supplies, tools, farm supplies, footwear, lawn and garden supplies, and outdoor equipment. The privately owned, family run retailer also sells hunting, fishing, and archery equipment and accessories, as well as firearms.
