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PHL renovations will mean 300 new retail jobs

Retail shops and restaurants at Philadelphia International Airport will be hiring about 300 workers to fill jobs at the newly renovated Terminal F and concession openings in other terminals.

Handout photo of a planned new Jose Garces restaurant in Terminal F that will be called Local tavern opening in October. Source: OTG Management
Handout photo of a planned new Jose Garces restaurant in Terminal F that will be called Local tavern opening in October. Source: OTG ManagementRead more

Retail shops and restaurants at Philadelphia International Airport will be hiring about 300 workers to fill jobs at the newly renovated Terminal F and concession openings in other terminals.

MarketPlace Philadelphia Management, in conjunction with the city Division of Aviation, and Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, whose district includes the airport, plan to host a job fair 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 30 at Lincoln Financial Field in South Philadelphia.

Applicants must have a resume to enter the Linc and multiple copies to give employers. Parking will be free in the North East K Lot off Darien Street near Pattison Avenue.

Nineteen new retail locations will be opening in F Terminal in October, ranging from retail shops to a food court, newsstands, bars, and sit-down restaurants.

"We are recruiting for positions within the concessions program ranging from retail, restaurants, and also services," said Anna DiGregorio, marketing director at MarketPlace Philadelphia. "They run from entry level, meaning front-line staff, sales associates, all the way up to management positions for retail."

The bulk of the openings are part of the Terminal F expansion.

The airport on that day will provide free resume-review services "to anyone who'd like to sit down and have their resume reviewed," airport spokeswoman Victoria Lupica said. "We're absolutely prepared for thousands of people."

Construction began last year to enlarge the center hub in F Terminal, doubling the number of restaurants and retail shops, and adding passenger seating.

The eateries and concessions will include a swank tavern that features celebrity chef Jose Garces as a consultant. At every seat will be an Apple iPad to order food, surf the Web, and check flight times.

Job openings based on experience will include sales associate ($9 an hour plus commission), assistant retail manager ($35,000 to $42,000 a year), shift supervisor ($11-$12 an hour), baker ($10 an hour), cook ($10-$15 an hour), supervisor ($10-$15 an hour), hostess ($8-$10), and cashier ($8 an hour).

In addition to 60,000 square feet of additional retail offerings Terminal F will have a new, larger shuttle bus stop with a covered vestibule, an expanded security checkpoint, and a new baggage-claim building.

One-sixth of the Philadelphia airport's 31 million annual passengers start or end trips in Terminal F, which was designed in the late 1990s for smaller 30- and 50-seat regional jets.

When the $98 million terminal opened in 2001, US Airways Group Inc. flew 175 daily Express flights out of it. Today, US Airways operates 275 daily Express flights and uses all 38 gates.

The retail offerings in F will be a mix of Philadelphia and national brands, including the Re:Vive bar, Philly Pretzel Factory, XpresSpa, Solstice sunglass company, a jeweler, an electronics store, as well as Chipotle, LeBus Bakery and La Colombe Coffee, Tony Lukes cheesesteaks, and Smashburger.

Airport officials have projected retail sales would grow from $15 million to nearly $23 million a year when all of the Terminal F shops open.