Foxborough, Mass. - With the national unemployment rate rising, good news is coming out of Foxborough as Patriot Place tenants will create 2,000 full and part-time jobs over the next year.

Tenants in Patriot Place's north lifestyle center begin opening in August and will join Bass Pro Shops, Staples, Circuit City, Christmas Tree Shops, Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse and Bed Bath & Beyond, all already open in Patriot Place's south retail center. When complete, Patriot Place will feature more than 70 shopping, dining and entertainment destinations, more than half of which will be open by September.

Several Patriot Place tenants will hold job fairs in the coming weeks, including The CBS Scene Restaurant & Bar, a three-level, 15,000-square foot restaurant and entertainment venue. The CBS Scene's hiring fair will be held at Gillette Stadium from Monday, June 16 to Friday, June 20 from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. each day.

General Manager Michael Seznec says that more than 150 jobs are available at The CBS Scene. "We're creating something really unique," said Seznec. "This is a massive restaurant with an exciting, first-of-its kind concept. There is also a retail element, a significant technology component and broadcast studios on site, so we'll be hiring people from a wide range of hospitality, retail and restaurant backgrounds."

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, a family restaurant, will also begin hiring for their Patriot Place location beginning Monday, June 16. A hiring trailer will be stationed at Patriot Place for two weeks.

Davio's, a landmark Boston steakhouse opening a location at Patriot Place, held a job fair at Gillette Stadium on June 4. "We were extremely pleased by the quality of the applicants," said Paul Flaherty, manager of Davio's at Patriot Place.

Many other Patriot Place tenants are planning job fairs over the next two months or accepting applications for their Patriot Place locations at their corporate Web sites.

"We're excited to be providing an opportunity at a time when so many people are either job seeking or looking for a part-time job to supplement their income," said Brian Earley, General Manager of Patriot Place. "Over the last year, more than a 1,000 tradespeople have been at work building Patriot Place and six large retailers have already opened. Now new tenants are beginning to hire and we are glad to be in this position in the current economic climate."

Patriot Place officials plan to announce additional retailers in the coming weeks. For more information about Patriot Place, job seekers should visit www.Patriot-Place.com.

A list of Patriot Place retailers is below:

Retail (Coming Soon):Aéropostale
Bath & Body Works
Crabtree & Evelyn
Eastern Mountain Sports
Fossil
GNC
Godiva
Hollister
Life is Good
Old Navy
Patriots Pro Shop
Puma
Reebok
Sprint
Victoria's Secret

Dining/Nightlife (Coming soon):Bar Louie
Baskin Robbins
The CBS Scene
Cinema de Lux
Davio's
Dunkin' Donuts
The Hall at Patriot Place
Red Robin
Showcase Live!
Skipjack's
Tastings Wine Bar & Bistro

Already open (South Retail Center):
Bed Bath & Beyond
Bass Pro Shops
Christmas Tree Shops
Circuit City
Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse
Staples