Lululemon Athletica is investing in its employees.
The athletic apparel and accessories firm said Thursday that it’s increasing its minimum wage and going on a hiring spree ahead of the upcoming holiday shopping season.
“At Lululemon, continuing to support and invest in our people is our top priority,” Celeste Burgoyne, president of the Americas and global guest innovation, said in a statement. “Our store and [Guest Education Center] teams are the heart of our business and are vital in helping to shape our innovative guest experience. We are thrilled to reach this important milestone and we remain committed to attracting and building passionate teams as Lululemon continues to scale and grow.”
Beginning Sept. 27, all store associates and Guest Education Center employees, or contact center employees, in North America will have a starting hourly pay between $15 and $17, depending on their locations. In addition, employees will continue to be eligible for Lululemon’s team-based bonus program, which allows them to earn an additional $3 to $6 an hour for store-based goals and results achieved.
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“Our rewards strategy supports our employees, attracts strong talent and recognizes exceptional performance,” said Susan Gelinas, senior vice president of people and culture. “These base-pay increases remain consistent with our top quartile rewards philosophy and align with our values to support and elevate our people. We’re proud to recognize their hard work and we’re so grateful for all they have navigated over the last year and half during these unprecedented times.”
Lululemon’s decision to raise its minimum wage follows other retailers that have already increased their base pay this year, such as Under Armour, Target, Amazon, Costco and Tapestry, which includes the Coach, Kate Spade and Stuart Weitzman brands. The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour, although minimum wage varies state to state. Congress has been pushing to raise the federal figure to $15 an hour by 2025.
Meanwhile, Lululemon is also beefing up its staff. This holiday, the retailer is hiring more than 8,000 new team members in stores and at contact centers across North America. Key cities include San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta and Houston.
The company said it also offers vacation and sick paid time off for eligible full-time employees, based on tenure and job title; paternity, maternity and adoption leave for up to six months for all employees based on tenure; a monthly allocation of dollars for all employees to take fitness and meditation classes in their local communities, and career mentorship programs to help employees map out their futures.
In addition, during the pandemic, Lululemon offered virtual well-being and developmental courses for employees and rolled out Mental Health First Aid training for members of leadership in order to support employees.
“We remain committed to investing in our people and will continue to update our holistic benefit offerings across the business on an ongoing basis,” Gelinas said.