Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., a privately held retail chain with more than 500 arts and crafts stores in 45 states, announced Monday a minimum-wage increase to $14 per hour for full-time hourly employees of Hobby Lobby and its affiliate, Hemispheres, effective immediately. The company also announced a minimum wage increase for all part-time employees to $9.50 per hour.
This is the fifth year in a row that the company has raised wages for full-time hourly employees, who earned a minimum of $13 per hour in 2012. It’s the fourth year in a row for the company to increase the minimum wage for its part-time hourly employees, up from a minimum of $9 in 2012.
“We are very fortunate to be able to increase hourly wages for our employees, because we know our company would not be successful without the great work they do each day in our stores across the nation,” says David Green, founder and CEO of Hobby Lobby. “We know that if we reward our employees for their hard work, we will be rewarded in turn with their loyalty and dedication to their job and to our customers.”
This increase for full-time hourly and part-time hourly employees will raise the pay of more than 17,726 employees nationwide. Hobby Lobby’s new minimum wage for full-time hourly employees is 93 percent above the national minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.
“As a family-owned business, we want our employees to feel like they are part of a family,” Green says. “This is one way we can show our appreciation for their work and make them feel like part of a team.”
In 2013, Hobby Lobby projects continued growth and plans to open 33 additional stores, which will create an additional 1,200 jobs across the country. The company will be opening stores in Maine and Connecticut in the next several months.
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