Month: March 2020

The following letter is being distributed to all customers.

To our Valued Safeway Customer,

Since the terrible escalation of Coronavirus, we have been blown away by the dedication and thoughtfulness of our hardworking teammates. We’d like to salute our team of 123,000 people across our great country who are working so hard every day to support Canadians throughout this difficult time.

Yesterday I was reminded yet again that we have such a great team. One of our teammates, Taeler, put a poster together for her store team filled with wonderful comments from customers and co-workers to lift their spirits and cheer them on. At the centre of the poster she wrote, “Tough Times Don’t Last, Tough Teams Do.” That really says it all.

We’ve asked so much of our front-line grocery and pharmacy heroes in recent days.

With everything that’s going on, they’re showing up every day determined to serve Canadians. They understand how vital it is in this extraordinary time to get us the food we need, safely and securely. In moments of crisis, they understand that grocery stores are an essential service with a critical role to play in communities across Canada. They’re working around the clock to make that happen. To that end, we’ve received incredible feedback from people applauding our team’s great morale and extraordinary service. I have personally witnessed how much it means to our people when people thank them for serving customers in these tough times.

We have excellent standards in place to keep our stores clean and sanitized and our customers and teammates healthy. We are looking at every opportunity to improve on these standards.

The safety and health of all of you is imperative to us.

Thank you to our customers for your patience with us in moments when our shelves are not fully stocked. It’s a busy, unpredictable time, and our team members are doing everything within their power. Thank you to all of our governments for their collaboration in helping us and our grocery customers.

We have trust in Canada’s strong and secure food supply chain. If you see an empty shelf, know that it will be full again shortly. Our warehouse and distribution teams are working the hardest in our history to get you the goods you need.

It’s more apparent than ever right now that the journey to get food onto Canadians’ tables is a team effort.

Sincerely,

Michael Medline

President & CEO

Teammates,

I continue to be overwhelmed by the many stories I am hearing about how you are supporting our stores and our customers. Customers are applauding you for the service they are receiving and the morale of our teams. I’m hearing about store associates taking the time to help seniors bring their groceries to their car, even though their stores are packed. I’m hearing about customers praising great store conditions, even considering the line-ups and flurry of activity to meet unprecedented demand.

These last few weeks have been a truly herculean effort. With many Canadians staying home to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, we know their reliance on grocery stores will continue to be strong. In moments of crisis, grocery stores are truly an essential service and we have such an incredibly important role to play within our communities.

You all are the true heroes right now in our stores and distribution centres. You are doing a tremendous job welcoming our customers with warm smiles to keep everyone calm. Our warehouse and distribution teams are tirelessly working around the clock to keep our stores full of the product they need to feed millions of families across Canada. Our back-office teams are completely dedicated to supporting our stores. This is truly an all hands on deck effort.

We are all so immensely proud of what you are accomplishing by serving Canadians during these very uncertain times. Thank you for everything you are doing today and for all of your efforts in the coming weeks and months.

Sincerely,

Michael Medline

President & CEO, Empire Company

Teammates,

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, we are seeing unprecedented activity in our stores. Grocery stores are truly an “essential service” and it’s clear that families are preparing to stay safe during times of self quarantine.
We know how busy you are in our stores serving our customers and communities and want to thank you for everything you are doing. We are so proud of our team on the front lines, serving Canadians.

We activated our pandemic preparedness plan several weeks ago and continue to monitor the rapidly evolving situation. We’re following guidance from federal and provincial agencies, and other health organizations.

Your Retail Support Teams will continue to provide you with updates and changes in policy as the situation evolves. We want to stress that we are not treating this as “business as usual”. All of our retail support teams are all hands-on deck, focused on you during this rapidly changing time.

Here are the steps we’re taking to protect our teammates and our customers:

• We’re asking all employees who are sick to stay home. Please always check-in with your manager before returning to work. Your health and safety is our top priority.
• Our HR team is helping employees who have been exposed to COVID-19 or have travelled to a high-risk country with understanding quarantine protocols.
• We’re asking our store teams to continue their strong in-store cleaning protocols to “clean as you go” and ensure high-touch surfaces are cleaned regularly.
• Our Distribution and Replenishment teams are working hard to ensure stores get the product needed to serve customers. We’re working with our Supplier Partners to ensure inventory continues to be available.
• Like many other retailers, we have suspended all in-store sampling and demo programs until further notice.

Let’s all remember the simple things we can do to keep our workplace healthy like regularly washing our hands, and not coming to work if you are sick. We will continue to work with government and the public health authorities to monitor the situation as it evolves and provide you with regular updates.

We are dealing with a truly unique situation in our stores right now. Your patient, welcoming and calm smiles can go a along way for our customers. After hospitals and pharmacies, grocery stores are the most important service in our communities.

You are a part of a team of 123,000 people across the country who are working hard to support Canadians during this COVID-19 pandemic. We’re incredibly lucky to have you on our team. Thank you for everything you are doing now and for all of your efforts in the coming weeks.

We’re proud to be on your team.

Thank you,

Michael Medline – President & CEO, Empire Co.

Pierre St-Laurent – EVP, Full-Service Empire Co. Sobeys Inc.