Gelson’s gets ready to hire and open in South Laguna

Gelson’s will hold a job fair Thursday as it prepares to open in the South Laguna location formerly occupied by Haggen Inc. at the end of the month, a Gelson’s spokesman wrote in an email.

Late last year, a U.S. bankruptcy court judge in Delaware approved the sale of the store, at 30922 S. Coast Hwy., as part of a $36-million agreement involving eight Haggen properties in California.

Haggen closed last fall after less than a year at the location. The Bellingham, Wash.-based chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and closed 67 California stores after expanding from an original 18 locations in the Pacific Northwest.

Gelson’s will hold the job fair at the store from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in anticipation of hiring 80 to 140 workers. Priority will be given to former Haggen employees, a news release said.

Details about any structural work to get the store ready for opening were not immediately available Monday.

Gelson’s, founded in 1951, operates 23 full-service specialty stores in Southern California. The Laguna store will open at 9 a.m. April 28.