Homelus, a hypermart chain, said Thursday it was starting open recruitment for its supermarket brand, Homeplus Express, a first in three years since 2017, after the company was acquired by MBK Partners, a private equity firm.

With the recruitment, Homeplus said it seeks to strengthen its supermarket business, which shows consistent growth while the offline retail industry is struggling overall, and also to provide job opportunities to college graduates seeking jobs amid the pandemic.

The recruitment application period opens from Friday to Nov. 20 for university graduates and graduates-to-be. The company said it plans to choose about 70 applicants who will then go through a three-month internship for evaluation. About 80 percent of the selected applicants will be hired as regular employees, the company added.

By Jo He-rim (herim@heraldcorp.com)