After a big Michigan furniture retailer abruptly went bankrupt, a Detroit-area dealership group offered to help some of the thousands losing their jobs go from selling tables and chairs to Tahoes and Cherokees.
LaFontaine Automotive Group last week held a hiring day specifically for employees of Art Van Furniture Co., which began liquidation sales at more than 150 stores across the Midwest.
It also created a dedicated website through which displaced Art Van employees can submit job applications.
LaFontaine operates 17 retail locations representing 36 franchises and seven collision centers in Michigan.
"We couldn't have gotten here without our dedicated employees and their commitment to our customers," the group said in a statement. "And with this growth, we are always looking for new individuals to join our team."
Job opportunities cross all departments and disciplines — from sales, service, body shop and parts to finance, business development, administrative, warehouse and driver functions — LaFontaine said.
Art Van, which was founded in 1959 and sold to a private equity firm in 2017, has about 3,100 employees.
