Retailer seeks 350 new staff
DISCOUNT retailer Trago Mills will next month launch a recruitment drive to hire 350 staff to work at its first ever store in Wales.
The retailer’s new 300,000 sq ft store in Merthyr Tydfil is on track to open next spring, and the firm is preparing to handle thousands of job applications.
Merthyr Tydfil council’s economic growth partnership, made up of public, private and third sector organisations, will act as a one-stop point of contact and help Trago with employment issues during the recruitment drive.
The economic growth partnership includes representatives from Merthyr Tydfil council, Jobcentreplus, Tydfil Training, Careers Wales and Merthyr Tydfil Institute for The Blind.
The new store, next to Cyfarthfa Retail Park, will be Trago Mills’ fourth store, but their first in Wales.
Founded in the 1960s, Trago Mills has three stores in Devon and Cornwall, selling around 180,000 products which include furniture, gardening, sports, toys, DIY, tools, electrical, and clothing.
John Llewellyn, group operations director for Trago, said: “Recruiting 350 individuals across retail, warehousing, security and leisure, as well as admin staff, is a huge task, not least of which is getting the word out there when we’re ready to start the process and then assessing hundreds, potentially thousands, of applications in order to find the right people for the right job.”
He added: “It will be an exciting time for us and we’re delighted that we will be supported in the task by the team from the economic growth partnership, who have already worked with other retailers in the same way.”
Merthyr Tydfil council leader Kevin O’ Neil said: “The partnership is very much about delivering economic regeneration through increasing employment, encouraging business growth and tackling social disadvantage.
“It contributes to local strategic aims in advancing Merthyr’s economic well-being and will underpin cross cutting approaches to tackle social deprivation as a result of industrial decline.”
Bernadette Jones, district manager at JobCentre Plus south east Wales, said: “These are certainly exciting times for Merthyr and the surrounding valleys and Jobcentreplus are looking forward to working closely with the Trago team in the recruitment of their workforce now and in the foreseeable future.”