Wegmans now hiring for its first New York City supermarket

The Brooklyn Wegmans is still a work in progress. But its hiring office is officially open for business.

"We're looking to hire about 500 people from the community," store manager Kevin Cuff said.

The upstate-based grocery chain will open a massive 74,000-foot store in the Brooklyn Navy Yard in the fall but is already starting to staff up. Managers at the hiring office near the site are combing through applications for full- and part-time jobs. Positions range from merchandising and customer service to entry-level management and culinary.

Cuff said the company is looking to hire many people from the immediate neighborhood and will begin recruitment efforts soon.

"We're always looking for hyper-local but really we're looking at just good people," he said. "Good people in here that will meet our values and that standard that we always portray for our customers."

Wegmans will start extending job offers as soon as February. Even though the store won't open to the fall, the new hires will be brought on immediately to start training.