​Lowe's boosts its seasonal worker hiring

MOORESVILLE, N.C. - Home improvement retailer Lowe's (LOW) said Thursday that it plans to hire 46,000 seasonal employees for the spring and summer, its busiest time of the year. That's about 15 percent more seasonal workers than it hired in 2015.

Lowe's Companies Inc., based in Mooresville, North Carolina, said it is hiring cashiers, stockers, lawn and garden clerks and people to assemble outdoor products such as and lawn tractors. It's also seeking loaders, who help customers carry out their purchases and prepare items bought online at Lowes.com for pickup at stores.

"To help customers during our peak season, Lowe's is hiring about 6,000 more seasonal employees than last year," Scott Purvis, Lowe's vice president for human resources, said in a statement.

Lowe's said it has begun hiring for work starting in February, when improving weather nudges consumers to start home improvement projects, and lasting until September.

Lowe's, founded in 1946, owns more than 1,845 home improvement and hardware stores. It has about 265,000 employees and had sales of about $56 billion in 2014.

Its shares fell 63 cents to $69.27 in midday trading Thursday. Its shares have aliped about 3 percent over the past year.