Month: January 2021

​​​​ As part of Sobeys Inc.’s plans to expand the FreshCo discount banner into Western Canada, today we are excited to announce the next six FreshCo locations in Alberta and the first location in Thunder Bay, Ontario.

Opening in Fall 2021:

• FreshCo, Court Street, Thunder Bay, ON
• FreshCo Brentwood, Calgary, AB
• FreshCo Millbourne Mall, Edmonton, AB
• FreshCo Coliseum, Edmonton, AB
• Chalo! FreshCo Saddle Ridge, Calgary, AB
• FreshCo Palisades Square, Edmonton, AB
• FreshCo Gateway Village Mall, St. Albert, AB

All six of the Alberta locations and the one Northern Ontario location are currently Safeway stores. Starting this Spring they will close for renovation and construction and will re-open as FreshCo locations.

Our full-service grocery stores are an important part of our customer offer and a valued part of our business. By expanding our store network to include full-service Safeway stores, as well as additional discount FreshCo stores, we are better equipped to win market share by having customers shop with our company rather than discount competitors.

We will be working closely with impacted employees and the respective unions in the coming weeks to ensure the terms of their collective agreements are met and to provide support through this transition.

Pharmacies at these Safeway locations will remain open throughout the closures, renovations and FreshCo re-openings.

We are sincerely grateful for our employees’ commitment and dedicated service to Safeway.

Stay up-to-date at SafewayTalks.ca.

In 2020, we launched our new corporate strategy, Project Horizon, a three-year ambitious growth plan focused on core business expansion and e-commerce acceleration. Project Horizon is rooted in evolution, change and growth, and above all, it will put our stores at the heart of our decisions.

To truly support our stores in a meaningful way, backstage and store teams are collaborating like never before. To help our store teams thrive, many new initiatives are well underway to better equip our stores with the right tools, technology, training and processes to deliver an exceptional customer experience and improve the overall store environment.

One of the first steps to putting our stores first is understanding what’s currently working and where there are opportunities for improvement. Based on feedback received from Store Leaders regarding their ongoing experience with Operations, our backstage Operations team aims to respond to the areas of opportunity identified and work to alleviate some of the backstage operational pain points through the creation of new roles within our Alberta team.

As part of these efforts we’re expanding our operational support teams in Alberta with the creation of a Director of Execution Support (DES) position, supported by a team of Execution Specialists (ES).

Addition of new Execution Specialist roles in Northern and Southern Alberta

 

Ten Alberta Execution Specialists (ES) will provide hands on, in-store leadership support through high caliber teamwork and clear lines of communication, while nurturing our winning culture of success. They’ll also work collaboratively with Stores, District Operators, MROs and backstage partners to drive mutual success. Through training, coaching and mentoring, the Execution Specialists will provide stores the tools, best practices, innovative ideas and program deliverance that will guide them to a consistent and industry-leading execution.

The new backstage operations structure will increase and harmonize Operations leadership support for stores across all regions, while identifying pain points in the current structure and using them to build an action plan for our shared future success. Together, we’ll monitor progress and performance and pivot where needed to ensure that our stores are receiving the support they need to win. Once we determine the recipe for success this model will be rolled out across Canada.

We all have an important to role to play in executing our new structure, and your support and engagement will truly contribute to the success of this project. If you have any questions about Project Horizon or our commitment to Supporting Our Stores, please reach out to your Department or Store Manager. We look forward to sharing more updates as the project unfolds.

For more than 90 years, Safeway has proudly served the distinct needs of Albertan families in cities across the province. We know that Safeway has strong roots right here at home, and we couldn’t be more excited to continue meaningfully investing in the province.

Our customers and our communities across Alberta are changing, and it’s more important than ever that we invest in the right stores, in the right markets, to meet the shift in consumer preferences. This means giving many of our old-favourites a much-needed facelift to bolster the Safeway brand and better serve our customers.

Recently, our talented teams across the business spent months planning, renovating and reopening both Garneau Safeway in Edmonton and Canmore Safeway.

On December 10, we celebrated the long-awaited grand reopening Garneau Safeway. Not only did the renovation include a beautiful new polished exterior, but the inside of the store is full of incredible enhancements, including an expanded deli and Home Meal Replacement (HMR) department, new antipasto and olive bars, and expanded self-serve salad bars and cheese selections. Garneau Safeway is also now home to a new pharmacy consultation room to support customers with all of their grocery and pharmacy needs.

Safeway Garneau: Before and After

Just a few months ago, amidst the incredible demands of the pandemic, our Canmore Safeway team also wowed us all with the grand re-opening of their beautiful new store. Since this time, countless customers (both the regulars and the new-comers!) have praised the store’s bold new look. The renovations included everything from expanded aisles to broaden the grocery selection, to a broadened wellness section and new produce tables to create a fresh market-like feel. The store also boasts upgraded lighting, freshly painted walls, and new signage throughout.

While these stores haven’t been open for long since being remodelled, customer response has been strong and we’re continuing to focus on driving footsteps and bolstering the customer experience. We’re proud to say that these stores have proven to be the right investment, in the right markets.

But we’re not stopping there. Over the coming years, we’ll continue investing in Safeway in Alberta through the remodeling and grand re-opening of many more, including Mission Safeway, Crowfoot Safeway and Bonny Doon Safeway.

We’d like to send our sincere thanks to everyone who played an important role in making the Garneau and Canmore openings a reality – and to everyone who will continue to help us drive Safeway success in Alberta in the years to come. We know these projects are no small feat, but your hard work, dedication and true Safeway pride make it all possible. Way to go, team!