UPDATE 1-Hhgregg says to add 800 seasonal jobs

* Hiring to cope with higher traffic during holiday season

* Says seasonal job openings at 117 stores

* Associates to work in appliance, home theater depts

* Shares fall as much as 5 pct Sept 23 (Reuters) - Regional appliance and electronics retailer hhgregg Inc (HGG.N) said it will add 800 seasonal jobs at 117 of its stores to help cope with increased customer traffic during the holiday season.

Hhgregg, which operates in nine states in the U.S. Southeast and Midwest, said it will accept applications through the end of September for associates to assist in its appliance and home theater departments from October through January.

Shares of the company, which competes with larger rivals Best Buy Co Inc (BBY.N) and Sears Holding Corp (SHLD.O) were trading down 96 cents at $17.06 Wednesday morning on the New York Stock Exchange. For the alerts, please double-click [ID:nWNAB2586] (Reporting by Shradhha Sharma in Bangalore; Editing by Aradhana Aravindan)