CarMax in Oxnard to begin hiring

Looking for a job? The new CarMax opening off Highway 101 in Oxnard will soon be searching for employees.

The used-car chain is scheduled to open Oct. 20. Hiring will begin around mid-August, said CarMax spokeswoman Elia Imler. There will be 50 to 75 positions.

"Most of our positions don't require previous auto experience except the automotive (technicians)," Imler said.

For its sales and business office jobs, CarMax will be looking for employees with experience at stores like Home Depot and Target, she said.

A year ago, the Richmond, Va.-based company got permission from the Oxnard Planning Commission to open a dealership.

The property off Rose Avenue facing the southbound lanes of Highway 101 has been empty for 2½ years and is the spot where Cars 101 was. The Oxnard Auto Mall is on the other side of the freeway.

The two-parcel lot is 12.6 acres. The bigger parcel will have the dealership; the smaller one will be paved and used to store cars before they're sold.

CarMax signed a 25-year lease the McGaelic Group, which owns the land and is a major commercial developer in Oxnard. The developer's representative told the Planning Commission it also plans to lease two adjacent properties for redevelopment.

CarMax's new dealership is about 40,000 square feet and replaces existing buildings on the site. A 2,947-square-foot carwash is part of the project.

Fortune magazine this year ranked CarMax 91st on its list of the 100 best companies for which to work and indicated sales consultants earn an average annual salary of $33,614.

The company operates 112 stores nationwide. The Oxnard store will be the first in Ventura County.

CarMax employs about 16,000 people. Employees and their families get $500 off any car.

CarMax had $10 billion in sales in the fiscal year ended Feb. 29, up nearly $1 billion from the past year.