The Tribune

FORMER Robin Hood owner Sandy Schaefer said he and his staff are continuing to vet more than 1,500 job applications in the hopes of filling 300 positions in time for the grand opening of a newly-branded store at the end of April.

Mr Schaefer had originally pushed for the Tonique Williams-Darling location, which will re-open as Shepherd’s Mart, to be operational by the end of this month.

He added that the Prince Charles Drive location could come back online by late June.

He said despite the large number of applications for full and part-time positions between both locations, “things are progressing well”.

Mr Shaefer added that short-term financing for the rebranded stores will be finalised by the end of this week.

He said while the stores will be more or less the same, customers can expect much lower prices.

According to Mr Schaefer, owner of the Summerwinds Plaza, Progressive Liberal Party MP Leslie Miller, provided a “generous and reasonable” lease accommodation, helping to facilitate the reopening.

“At the end of the day, after having lost pretty much everything, it was a humbling experience, but it also gave me first-hand knowledge of how tough things are here when you don’t have an income,” Mr Schaefer said of his initial retail failure.