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Saskatchewan Safeway teammates raise over $90,000 for local food banks!

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

Despite the challenges that our Safeway teammates faced in 2020, they never missed an opportunity to show up when their communities needed them most.

When our Safeway teammates learned that the pandemic had only heightened the need for food donations in communities across Saskatchewan, they truly stepped up to the challenge and championed our holiday checkstand campaign like never before. This past holiday season, our Safeway teammates put in tremendous effort to support local food banks through at-the-register cash donations and the sale of pre-packaged food hampers containing the most needed items.

Through determination, hard work, and an immeasurable commitment to their local communities, our Saskatchewan Safeway teammates managed to raise $18,080 in food hamper sales and $74,125 in cash donations for a total of more than $92,215! Such an absolutely incredible achievement!

A huge thank you goes out to every single teammate for continuing to show up everyday and put your local communities first throughout these challenging times. Your true Safeway spirit inspires us everyday!

Manitoba Safeway teammates raise over $190,000 for local food banks!

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

Despite the challenges that our Safeway teammates faced in 2020, they never missed an opportunity to show up when their communities needed them most.

When our Safeway teammates learned that the pandemic had only heightened the need for food donations in communities across Manitoba, they truly stepped up to the challenge and championed our holiday checkstand campaign like never before. This past holiday season, our Safeway teammates put in tremendous effort to support local food banks through at-the-register cash donations and the sale of pre-packaged food hampers containing the most needed items.

Through determination, hard work, and an immeasurable commitment to their local communities, our Manitoba Safeway teammates managed to raise $57,700 in food hamper sales and $140,285 in cash donations for a total of more than $197,985! Such an absolutely incredible achievement!

A huge thank you goes out to every single teammate for continuing to show up everyday and put your local communities first throughout these challenging times. Your true Safeway spirit inspires us everyday!

Alberta Safeway teammates raise over $980,000 for local food banks!

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

Despite the challenges that our Safeway teammates faced in 2020, they never missed an opportunity to show up when their communities needed them most.

When we learned that the pandemic had only heightened the need for food donations in communities across Alberta, our teams across Alberta truly stepped up to the challenge and championed our holiday checkstand campaign like never before.

From December 3 to 26, 2020 , our Safeway teammates put in tremendous effort to support local food banks through at-the-register cash donations and the sale of pre-packaged food hampers containing the most needed items. A very special shout out goes to each and every cashier that committed to making the campaign a topic of importance with every customer that passed through your till, inviting them to purchase a hamper or make a donation. This campaign couldn’t be what it is without you!

Through determination, hard work, and an immeasurable commitment to their local communities, our Alberta Safeway teammates doubled their fundraising goal, raising more than $316,300 in food hamper sales and more than $667,400 in cash donations for a total of more than $983,800! Such an absolutely incredible achievement!

A huge thank you goes out to every single teammate for continuing to show up everyday and put your local communities first throughout these challenging times. It is amazing what a large team of good hearted and determined people can accomplish!

Six new FreshCo locations in Alberta and one new location in Northern Ontario announced

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

​​​​ 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.

Supporting our Stores in Alberta

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

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.

Investing in the future of Safeway in Alberta

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

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!

Holiday Heroes – How our Safeway Teammates spread holiday cheer

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

We know our Safeway teammates always show up for their communities. Whether it be through donations, time, or serving their communities throughout COVID-19, they always give back.

Here are a few stories showing how our teammates spread holiday cheer within their communities this holiday season.

Earlier this month, a person experiencing homelessness entered Gerald’s store (4821 – River East Safeway) to warm up and rest. During this time of year, the weather conditions in Manitoba are harsh and with a province-wide lockdown instilled, the only places that are open are essential services.

The individual was spotted by teammates taking off some layers so that they could warm up. They didn’t have a coat, and instead were using blankets to cover themselves and instead of socks they had gloves on their feet.

Gerald was called over by his teammates to assist with escorting the individual out of the store when it became apparent that they weren’t there to shop. When Gerald arrived, he realized that they needed help and attention.

Debbie, a Safeway teammate, went and bought the individual a sandwich, and Gerald bought them water. He made space for them out of the way and at a safe distance from other customers so that they could eat and warm up. After realizing that this individual didn’t have proper socks or gloves, Gerald took it upon himself to purchase both for them. A customer in the store realized that this individual didn’t have a coat and ran out to his truck to get a used one to donate to them. The individual was very pleased to now have a coat and proper socks and gloves rather than wearing blankets.

Gerald was very affected by this interaction and was emotional after they had left the store – he hoped that he had made them a little more comfortable that evening given their circumstances. As a leader, Gerald demonstrated to his team how to look past the stigmas of homelessness and how to make a difference for someone in the community. A customer was so moved by this act of kindness that they wrote into the local paper to detail the events and give Gerald his much-deserved recognition.

Over in Calgary, Tanya from Aspen Safeway spread holiday cheer to seniors in long-term care facilities. During it’s first year, Tanya’s Cards of Kindness Campaign gathered 1112 holiday cards from co-workers, customers and the community that she and her daughter distributed to seniors for the holidays. Through the help of her community, Tanya was able to bring 1112 smiles to seniors across Calgary this holiday season.

In Calgary, two of our Safeway teammates, Tammy and Laura were recognized by the Cliff Bungalow Association for their contribution to helping those in need in their community. Both Tammy and Laura received the Toole Peet Community Hero Award for their continuous contributions to their community.

Throughout this challenging year, you have continuously shown up for your local communities and shown true compassion and dedication. No gesture is too small or goes unnoticed. Your local communities thank you for your hard work and dedication especially throughout this holiday season! A huge thank you to all our Safeway teammates for their recent sales of Food Bank hampers and fundraising for the Food Bank.

Keeping you safe is just as important as ever

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have worked quickly and efficiently to introduce several new health, safety and security measures to help protect our teammates and customers. Measures like plexiglass shields, social distancing floor markers and personal protective equipment are just a few of the ways that we’re keeping our teammates and our stores safe. We’re also asking customers to follow all Public Health guidelines and refrain from entering our stores if they’re experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms. We’re also encouraging all to wear a mask while shopping. If a customer arrives at our stores without a mask, we will offer them one. In accordance with Public Health orders and bylaws, we do not ask our teammates to enforce customer mask-wearing. Instead, we will continue to remind and educate our customers about the requirement.

Our guiding principle from the very start of the pandemic has been to follow the trusted guidance of Public Health, and we will continue to provide our frontline teammates with all of the support and training necessary to safely uphold this commitment in our stores. If you have any questions or concerns about the protocols in your store or find yourself in an uncomfortable situation with a customer, please contact your Store Manager who will provide immediate assistance.

While the pandemic continues to evolve differently in communities across Alberta, and as the provincial government announces tighter restrictions on businesses that can remain open, it’s just as important as ever that we maintain the standards that we have worked so hard to achieve. Your safety is incredibly important to us, and our customers have told us loud and clear just how much they appreciate your hard work in keeping our stores safe. Each day, you go above and beyond to serve Alberta families with courage, dedication and pride, and we couldn’t be prouder.

If you find yourself in need of support, please remember that the Employee Family Assistance Program (EFAP) is here to help. The EFAP provides the tools to support overall mental health and well-being through our EFAP provider, Morneau Sheppell. You have free access to:

  • Telephone, video & e-counselling
  • Online group counselling
  • Online tools and resources

For access to EFAP resources, visit the Morneau Shepell site at www.workhealthlife.com, call their toll-free number (1-844-880-9142) or speak to your Store Manager.

We’ve worked together and come so far this year – let’s continue to stand side-by-side to ensure our stores remain the safest place for our teammates to work and our customers to shop.

A day to remember our Canadian Heroes

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

Team,

Today is an important day for Canadians across the country, and a particularly significant day for us as a team with such deep Canadian roots.

On November 11, we pay respect to our Canadian Heroes, both past and present, who have fought for our country. While their courage and heart inspire us every day, I encourage you to take a moment today to pause and reflect on the bravery of those who have served – and continue to serve – Canada during times of conflict.

Let us never forget the men and women who have sacrificed for our country, and let us continue to honour our Canadian heroes who defend our values and freedoms today.

We thank our Safeway teammates who have served or are still serving our country, and those with friends and family that may still be doing so. We will wear our poppies with pride today to honour you.

We will read the following script over the PA system in our stores at 11:00 am this morning to observe a moment of silence:

“Good morning shoppers.  As we all stand here in peace and safety, we pay our respects to all of the fallen, all of the wounded and all who served in conflict for more than 100 years. Today, we remember those who volunteered, sacrificed, served, fought, and died, for our freedom. We thank you, and salute those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. We will never forget. We will remember you.

Today and always, #CanadaRemembers.

 

Kind Regards,

Julie Sue Wood

Vice President, Operations – Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario

Fill your prescription in our pharmacies and save more!

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

With cough, cold and flu season right around the corner, it’s time to start thinking of the best and most cost-effective way to get the healthcare products and services for you and your family.

Fill your prescriptions in our pharmacies and save more!
Safeway provides industry-leading benefits to our teammates. By visiting our banner stores for your healthcare needs, you can take advantage of our competitive prices –and in many cases, higher percentages of reimbursement depending on the benefit plan in which you participate.  

And while you’re getting your prescription filled, pick up your groceries and take advantage of our upcoming Employee Discount to be announced soon. It’s a one-stop shop for all your savings!

Not an existing patient at our pharmacies? Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Transferring your prescriptions is easy! Just call any of our pharmacy teams and we will get it done for you.

A variety of healthcare services
From blood pressure screening to baby wellness, to flu vaccines, and more, our pharmacy team is committed to providing personalized care and quality service. We also offer patient education programs and work closely with in-store Dietitians (where available) to help patients achieve their health goals.

We’re always ready to help you with your healthcare needs, including:

  • Automatic prescription refills
  • Custom pill packaging (to easily remember what to take and when)
  • Private consultations and medication reviews
  • Easy prescription transfers1
  • Prescription renewals and other prescribing services1
  • Home delivery if you are unable to come into the store
  • All with your wellness and privacy in mind2

Start shopping in your pharmacies and save more!  To find your convenient pharmacy banner location and to learn more about our services, visit www.pharmacynearestyou.ca.

1Prescribing and prescription transfer services are subject to provincial regulations.
2All pharmacies are required by law to protect personal and health information.