Major N.J. Retailers Announce 2017 Closings, Openings: The Full List

There's bad news and good news about the New Jersey economy. And as some jobs disappear, others are opening up.

More than 4,000 jobs could be coming to New Jersey this year now that Wegman's has announced it's opening two stores, and several other companies are offering opportunities to people with a variety of skill levels in locations throughout the state.

At the same time, several major companies have announced store closings and layoffs in New Jersey that will leave hundreds without work. Over the past month, JCPenney, Jersey City Medical Center, Express Scripts, NRG Energy Inc. and HHGregg were among the companies that said they're laying people off or will close stores, which will lead to layoffs.

Here is a list of stores that are opening or making a big hiring push, as well as a list of retailers and businesses that are shutting down in New Jersey:

OPENINGS:

• WEGMAN'S: Wegman's has announced opening dates for two New Jersey locations, hiring up to 450 people for each store. Find out more about the Morris County location by clicking here, and learn more about the Bergen County location by clicking here.
• DAVE & BUSTERS: A Dave & Buster’s will be opening at the Woodbridge Center Mall in November 2017. It will be the first and only Dave & Buster's in New Jersey. Read more here...
• WAWA: Wawa Inc. has announced plans to launch its spring hiring campaign with the goal of hiring more than 5,000 people during the next three months, including new stores in New Jersey. Read more here...
• BJ's: A BJ's Club Shopping Center could be coming to Hanover after a planning board vote. The BJ's will be built in the old Litton site, after being closed for 20 years due to environmental concerns. Read more here...
• BAR LOUIE: The upscale sports bar Bar Louie is reportedly opening an outpost in Woodbridge Township that is scheduled to open in mid- to late May. This will be the second Bar Louie in New Jersey. The other location is not far away, in Brunswick Square in East Brunswick. The Woodbridge location will be in The Plaza at Woodbridge near the Wodbridge Center Mall. Read more here...
• HOME DEPOT: The company plans to hire 1,650 part-time and seasonal workers in New Jersey within the coming weeks, the company announced Thursday. You can search for some of these jobs and find how to apply to them by clicking here. They include customer service and sales, lot associates, freight and receiving, store support and cashier positions, according to a company press release.
• CASINOS: There are about 830 full- and part-time positions available at Atlantic City casinos — a potential rebound after the industry shed more than 10,000 jobs since 2014, according to The Press of Atlantic City. You can search for some of these jobs and find how to apply to them by clicking here. Some are food and beverage jobs related to some new restaurants at Harrah’s, including the AC Burger Company, the Mexican/Spanish restaurant Veracruz and Coastal Craft in March, according to the report.
• AMAZON: The company plans to hire 2,500 people in New Jersey over the next 16 months as part of a nationwide expansion of 100,000 jobs. These will be full-time, full-benefit jobs for people with all types of experience, education and skill levels, from engineers and software developers to those seeking entry-level positions and on-the-job training, the company said in a statement. Read more about the Amazon jobs by clicking here....
• BROADRIDGE FINANCIAL SOLUTIONS: The company has signed a lease to open a Newark office that the company says will bring 1,000 jobs from Jersey City. The financial services firm signed for 160,000 square feet of Class A office space at 2 Gateway Center, according to commercial real estate firm C&K Properties. You can search for some of these jobs and find how to apply to them by clicking here.

CLOSINGS:

• JCPENNEY: A JCPenney store at the Rio Grande Plaza Shopping Center on Route 47 in New Jersey will soon close. The Texas-based company has announced it's closing brick-and-mortar stores and several distribution centers across the country. Read more here...
• EXPRESS SCRIPTS: The St. Louis-based pharmacy benefits manager, which has about 3,100 New Jersey employees, will be eliminating 66 work-at-home positions supporting the company’s front-end pharmacy operations, according to NJBIZ. Brian Henry, vice president for corporate communications, told NJBIZ via email that the company "will be able to more effectively meet the needs of our clients and members by consolidating work." The affected workers were notified Feb. 22 and would be paid for 60 days after the announcement.
• HHGREGG: HHGregg, the appliance and electronics retailer, is planning to close 88 of its weakest stores in 15 states and close three distribution centers. The closings will be completed by mid-April and result in about 1,500 layoffs. Those stores include ones in New Jersey. Read more here...
• NRG ENERGY: The company has given workers notice that it is laying off 65 employees in its New Jersey-based home solar unit. The changes are part of a nationwide overhaul of the NRG Home Solar unit first announced last May, NRG told NJBIZ.
• JERSEY CITY MEDICAL CENTER: The hospital, which is part of the RWJBarnabas Health System, is reducing its workforce, it told NJBIZ. The hospital said it is also reorganizing its staff, reassigning some personnel and eliminating some positions through attrition. JCMC would not reveal the number of employees who could lose their jobs, though a spokeswoman told NJBIZ it was less than 100.
• MACY'S: Macy's has announced it will close 34 more stores in 2017, just months after announcing that 66 stores will close. Stores in Moorestown, Voorhees and Wayne are set to shut their doors, but the new locations have not been identified. Read more here....
• KMART: Add Kmart to the list of companies that are closing numerous department stores nationwide — including four in New Jersey — as part of a large downsizing. Read more here...
• PROGRESSO SOUP: General Mills plans to close its Vineland manufacturing facility, which will put about 370 employees out of work, the company said Monday. That facility, which makes Progresso soup products, is expected to close by the first quarter of fiscal 2018. The Vineland facility has been operated by General Mills since 2001, according to a company news release. Read more here...
• BONEFISH GRILL and CARRABBA's: The restaurant chain has closed at least five New Jersey locations. The decision to close Bonefish Grill and Carrabba's was made at the corporate level, a spokeswoman for the corporate chain told Patch. "Closing a restaurant is a difficult decision. It was based purely on business circumstances and has no reflection on employees or their service," said Elizabeth Watts, a spokeswoman for Bloomin' Brands. Read more here....
• TOYS R US: About 250 people at the Toys R Us headquarters on Geoffrey Way have been laid off. The layoffs were announced before the North American International Toy Fair at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City, The Wall Street Journal reported. Amy Von Walter, a spokeswoman for Toys R Us, told Forbes that, "The recent changes are not just about cost-containment — our growth plans require us to have the right structure, talent and determination to transform our business and achieve the financial objectives we've set for the company." Read more here...
• NORTH JERSEY MEDIA GROUP: The company, which publishes The Record and the Herald News, announced in January that 141 employees will receive layoff notices. The company reported the layoffs on its website, NorthJersey.com. North Jersey Media Group announced last year that 426 employees will receive notices required by New Jersey state law when "mass layoffs are imminent."

Patch file photo