Human Resources

Sports Authority is joining other top retailers with plans to fortify their employee ranks for the holidays.

The sporting goods retailer announced it will hire 3,500 temporary employees across the country to meet consumer demand during the 2015 holiday season. All Sports Authority locations will begin hiring in mid-October and continue through December. Sports Authority plans to convert hundreds of seasonal workers into permanent Team Members after the holidays.

Target on Monday officially opened the application process for its new startup accelerator program, created in partnership with Techstars and led by Target EIR (entrepreneur-in-residence) West Stringfellow. The retailer posted a Q&A with Stringfellow, who forged Target’s partnership with Techstars, on its Bullseye blog.

Here are highlights:

Northwest Arkansas isn’t the first place that comes to mind when the phrase “hotbed of start-up activity” is uttered, but organizers of a first-of-its-kind technology summit are looking to change that perception.

On November 10, more than 800 people are expected to gather at the John Q. Hammons Convention Center in Rogers, Ark., for the Northwest Arkansas Technology Summit, an event organized by the Bentonville/Bella Vista Chamber of Commerce and the Northwest Arkansas Council.

Walmart is one step closer to fulfilling its mission of donating $100 million toward increasing the economic mobility of entry-level workers. 

The retailer and its Walmart Foundation are donating nearly $1 million to Innovate+Educate to fund research and build recommendations that support the advancement of entry-level workers in retail and adjacent sectors.

Rooms to Go is cutting the ribbon this weekend on the largest retail furniture store in the Southeastern United States.

The Florida-based retailer will open a Rooms to Go Super Center and Distribution Center on Oct. 17 in Dunn, N.C. The newly built facility comprises approximately 1,450,000 square feet on 120 acres and houses a state of the art Rooms to Go showroom, a Rooms to Go Kids/Teens showroom, a Rooms to Go Outlet Center and a huge distribution center housing tens of thousands of pieces of furniture.

Nordstrom plans to hire about 11,800 seasonal employees for the coming holiday season, mostly for sales and stock positions at the upscale chain and its less pricey Nordstrom Rack locations.

The retailer also plans to hire 1,600 temporary workers to support its e-commerce business at its three fulfillment centers.