Iowa-based Hy-Vee seeks to move corporate workers to retail

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa-based grocery chain Hy-Vee will ask up to 500 of its employees to move from corporate-level jobs to retail positions at its stores, it said in a public statement.

The move comes after the company already eliminated 121 corporate-level positions in March, the Cedar Rapids Gazette reported Wednesday. More than 100 of those employees were offered retail positions, the company said.

In addition to shifting employees’ jobs, the company said it will be pausing several projects, including a new warehouse in Cumming, Iowa.

In a statement, the company blamed, among other things, rising inflation, increasing fuel and construction costs and supply chain disruptions for the moves

"This week, we invited all corporate office employees to attend an internal job fair to continue our efforts to see if any of our retail leadership openings may be a good fit for them, as many people in our corporate office have retail experience. We currently have approx. 400 store leadership positions open across our eight-state region in addition to other full-time opportunities."