LAKEWOOD, Colo., Sept. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Natural Grocers will open a new Cedar Rapids, Iowa store this fall, bringing 18 jobs to the community. Natural Grocers employs more than 3,000 people and operates 123 stores in 19 states. The Cedar Rapids store is located at 931 Blairs Ferry Road NE.

Open Interviews will take place on Thursday, September 8 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Hampton Inn & Suites, 1130 Park Place NE. Natural Grocers will be hiring store leadership, department managers, cashiers and a Nutritional Health Coach. Candidates must be at least 18 years of age. Applicants can apply for consideration at www.naturalgrocers.com/jobs.

What makes Natural Grocers a great place to work?
Just like its dedication to its customers and community, Natural Grocers has a 60 year history of caring for employees.

As part of the company's five founding principles, Natural Grocers supports all employees by offering:

• Competitive pay, including the exclusive Natural Grocers Vitamin Bucks program, which provides employees an extra $1 per hour worked of in-store spending money.
• Birthday bonuses equal to 1 day's pay, which originated from founder Margaret Isely's tradition of celebrating the birthdays of all employees by preparing lunch for them. Once the company became larger, her children, the current executives of the company, implemented the policy of providing each employee with a full day's pay on their birthday to say "thank you for working with us."
• Company-wide store discounts and credits of up to 30% on all Natural Grocers products, which provides employees substantial savings on high quality groceries and supplements and helps them retain more of the dollars they earn.
• Natural Grocers also offers comprehensive benefits packages to the over 80% of its employees who are full time, including medical, dental and vision insurance; flexible spending and health savings accounts; short- and long-term disability and life insurance; a 401K savings plan; generous paid time off; and extensive free nutrition education programs.

"Commitment to our employees has always been a top priority -- it is one of the founding principles on which we base our business practices," said Kemper Isely, Co-President of Natural Grocers. "We cannot properly serve our customers without our talented staff and nutrition experts. The crew we're putting in place in Cedar Rapids will be the experts in their field and will bring a great deal of knowledge and value to the Natural Grocers family and the local community."

Natural Grocers will provide the Cedar Rapids community with fresh produce that is 100% USDA Certified Organic, as well as other healthy, affordable, organic and natural products. The store will feature a mix of national brands and a selection of locally produced products in a small, neighborhood market environment. The store will also feature a Nutritional Health Coach and offer free nutrition education classes to the public.

About Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC; NaturalGrocers.com) is a rapidly expanding specialty retailer of organic and natural groceries, body care and dietary supplements. The company offers a flexible, neighborhood-store format, affordable prices and free, science-based nutrition education programs to help customers make informed health and nutrition choices. Founded in Colorado in 1955, Natural Grocers has over 3,000 employees and operates 123 stores in 19 states.

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SOURCE Natural Grocers