Category: Provinces

Celebrating the grand opening of Safeway Davie Street in Vancouver

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

Davie Street, located in the west end community of Vancouver, British Columbia, welcomed a new shopping experience as Safeway Davie officially opened for business on Thursday, May 21.

In this critical time, we thank our teams for their continued focus on providing an essential service in our communities so residents can access the food and pharmacy necessities they require for their families.

Store Manager, Steve Hogeweide and his staff participated in the store’s physical distancing opening and ribbon cutting ceremony. Steve has been involved in the grocery industry in British Columbia for over 30 years and is currently celebrating his 21st year as a store manager with Safeway.

Steve is particularly excited about the enhanced organic produce offerings and the wide assortment of local British Columbia products that will be available in store. Some of his favourites include Nora’s Non-Dairy Ice Cream (Vancouver), Rocky Mountain Pizza (Kitsilano) and Fernwood Coffee (Victoria).

Congratulations to Steve and his team on the official opening of their beautiful new store!

The new store can be found at:

Safeway Davie Street

1641 Davie Street

Vancouver, BC

V6G 1W1

Brett Kissel announces First Ever Drive-In Country Music Concert together with Safeway Canada, in support of Food Banks Alberta

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

​Tough times don’t last, tough people do. Those words have never been more relevant as the world faces the challenges of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic. Together with Safeway Canada, Brett Kissel is proud to announce ‘Brett Kissel – Live at the Drive-In,’ a first of its kind social distancing drive-in country music concert taking place on Saturday, June 13th at the main parking lot of the River Cree Resort and Casino outside of Edmonton, Alberta. Safeway Canada’s support ensures one hundred per cent of the event’s ticket-sales will go to Food Banks Alberta. The unique concert will also be streamed live across Canada, with media partner details to be announced.

“Music, and specifically country music, serves as a soundtrack to our lives. Obviously, the last few months have been an incredibly difficult chapter in all of our stories here in Canada and throughout the world,” said Kissel. “Through performing this one-of-a-kind drive-in show, I want to use live music to bring some light and happiness to people. I want to say thank you to all of those who have been on the front lines during this pandemic and to do what we can to make a difference supporting those in need. I want to support everyone through something that I miss – that we all miss, very much – live country music.”

‘Brett Kissel Live at the Drive- In’ concert is one-way Safeway Canada is supporting local communities through its Community Action Fund. Initiated at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Community Action Fund empowers 1,500 stores across the country to inject millions of dollars into Canadian communities. The fund has helped deliver food and critical funds to food banks and a range of other community organizations in need across Canada.

“When Brett reached out about creating a first of its kind drive- in country concert, the idea resonated strongly with our team at Safeway. Brett’s song ‘Tough Times Don’t Last, Tough People Do’ has inspired our frontline teammates throughout this crisis. At Safeway, we want to ensure that our community partners, such as Food Banks Alberta and others across the country, are not forgotten during this crisis,” said Sandra Sanderson, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Sobeys Inc. “We hope this unique social-distancing music event will inspire Canadians to help one another during these tough times and give back to the most vulnerable people in our communities.”

Concert attendees will also be encouraged to ‘text to donate’ to Food Banks Alberta and Safeway Canada will match donations up to $25,000 over the course of the concert. Safeway is proud to contribute millions of dollars in food and funds each year to address hunger across Western Canada.

Organizers have worked alongside Alberta Health Services and Health Canada to ensure that all health guidelines and safety measures for proper social distancing are in place and adhered to for the safety of all concert guests, performers, and staff.  Full event information and health guidelines are available online at drivein.brettkissel.com.

Tickets for this very special performance go on sale on Monday, May 25 at 10:00 a.m. via Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.ca). Admission for the 60-minute performance is $50.00 per vehicle, plus applicable fees, and taxes. Additional performances may be added later.

Thank you from the Calgary Flames.

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

To all our frontline workers, our friends from the Calgary Flames say thank you.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis, we’ve received a ton of heartfelt messages of support and encouragement from some of our friends at TSN, MLSE, and the NHL.

This week, we’d like to share a message from our friends at the Calgary Flames who want to say thank you to all our frontline workers across Canada.

Your dedication to Canadians during these hard times is inspiring. Every one of you continues to serve Canadians across the country tirelessly by providing them with the essentials they need during this crisis.

Everyone from the Calgary Flames, and across Canada is truly grateful for all that you do.

Thank you.

Support comes in all shapes and sizes

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

There’s no denying these past weeks have had their challenges as we worked together to quickly establish new ways of operating to help keep our teammates and our customers safe. Though it hasn’t always been easy, one thing that’s been consistent is the incredible wave of support, showcasing humanity at its absolute best. From gift card donations and to coffee drop-offs to chalk messages and everything in between, it has been powerful to see the ways we not only support each other, but how our communities in turn, show their support for us.

Our Safeway teams have shown that even in times of uncertainty, our commitment to our customers is unwavering. Many of our stores have put their creative minds to the test, building some truly unique and beautiful rainbow displays. Covering windows and glass cases these colourful symbols are a powerful reminder to our communities that we are all in this together.

Our stores also made sure to remember some of our youngest customers, showing a sweet sign of support by stocking our shelves full of Girl Guide cookies. When our local troops couldn’t participate in their usual door to door sales tradition, our Safeway teammates didn’t hesitate to offer a helping hand.

But our teams haven’t stopped there. With the support of our Community Action Fund, groceries, monetary donations and gift cards have all been huge sources of support that our local stores have shown to our Alberta community food banks, senior homes, schools and so many more organizations.

At our Heritage location in Edmonton, Alberta, support never sounded better than when Store Manager, Gord Petruk, had the idea to invite local musician Martin Kerr into the store to surprise his staff with a musical tribute as a thank you for their hard work.

Our communities continue to find heartwarming ways to show their gratitude, too. Uplifting signs, personal letters, gifted meals, firetrucks with sirens blaring, all examples of a grateful community showing up to support the front line heroes in our stores.

And this is just naming a few!

Every day you show up to work, you are supporting Canadians when they need it most. You are the best examples of showing how when we work together and support one another, nothing can stop us. Thank you for joining us as we drive forward, together.

 

Bargaining Update: A focus on safety in our stores

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

As we previously shared with you, we were back at the table with UFCW 401 last month. While at the table, it became clear that amidst the current global crisis, your Union is currently focused on topics that differ from our own.

Our business has faced unprecedented demands since the onset of COVID-19 and our sole focus has been on operating safely as an essential service that Canadians can count on for the products they need to care for their families, while always keeping teammates and customers safe. We remain laser-focused on supporting each other and working together to get through this difficult time.

As you know, working quickly and efficiently to protect our teams and customers has been an incredible challenge for all of us. We have come together as a united front and faced this challenge head-on. We’ve adjusted to things like plexiglass shields and physical distancing floor markers. We’re controlling the number of customers in our stores to facilitate social distancing. We are all-hands-on-deck in cleaning and sanitizing. This has put pressures on all of us. Although many stores have found a more stable routine in recent days, we remain steadfast in our commitment to work together to keep our stores safe for our teams and customers.

Once this crisis is over, we will continue to prioritize our focus on operating in Alberta. We know that Alberta will be facing an extremely challenging economic environment, and we’re already seeing these signs in many of our communities. There will be work to be done, but we’re committed to working together to make it happen.

Some are arguing that now is the time to start talking about strikes, but what would that accomplish? The issues facing Safeway cannot be solved through a strike. However, they can be solved by working together on a fair and competitive collective agreement and by providing our customers with the grocery formats they want – full service in many markets and discount in others.

Now more than ever, we want you to remember that our key focus remains on keeping you safe and serving our Alberta communities.

Please keep these priorities in mind in coming weeks and as we return to the table on May 25-29.

A message from Michael Medline to our valued teammates.

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

To our Valued Teammates,

This challenging crisis continues to test our strength. I am filled with pride every day as you continue to rise to the occasion with great courage, resilience and –above all –teamwork.

Our business has adapted to so many changes with unwavering dedication to the safety of our communities. As this has happened, we’ve been able to reflect on where we are in this crisis and what it means to be an essential service. Canada needs us.

We’ve all had to make sacrifices out of necessity and safety –like postponing some of life’s pleasures such as birthday celebrations or sports pursuits or staying apart from family members. While these short-term adjustments are intended to help everyone and allow us to focus on doing what’s right, we look forward to returning to more normal ways of life and business down the road. And when provinces across the country slowly start to open back up again, we will continue to do what is needed to keep our stores safe for our teammates and our customers.

We realize this has not been easy. Our frontline teammates are serving Canadian families during a time of great anxiety. Our distribution centres have adapted to 24/7 delivery. Our backstage teams are doing absolutely everything they can to put our stores and customers first.

And while we’ve been intensely focused on our stores, we have not forgotten about our communities. Our Community Action Fund is pitching in to help Canadians in need by supporting food banks and other much-needed causes across the country. Teammates are painting beautiful messages of hope on our store windows and display cases. These are simple, powerful reminders that we’re all in this together. They keep community morale high.

The way you’ve pulled together has made our company stand above the rest through the toughest days. As we look to brighter days ahead, we do so knowing we have the strongest team in Canada. Thank you!

If there is anything this crisis has taught us, it’s that when we stand together nothing will knock this team down. Early on, I was inspired by a quote from one of our teammates, “tough times don’t last, tough teams do.” This is our mantra.

I’m so humbled to be on your team. Let’s keep going. Canada needs us.

Sincerely,

Michael Medline

President & CEO

The Employee Family Assistance Program is here to help

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

We know that delivering essential services to Canadians during a time of crisis can be challenging, to say the least. Plexiglass shields, physical distancing floor markers, cart sanitization after each use; all of these and many others have been put into place to make sure we are doing our part in protecting the health of our teammates and customers. We’re so proud of your commitment to our Alberta customers and communities in the face of unprecedented change.

Keeping this in mind, we recognize that this crisis can create anxiety and stress for all of us. Your health and well being is our very top priority, and prioritizing health also means supporting your mental well-being.

Mental health is just as important as your physical health and we’re committed to supporting you and your family throughout this difficult time and encourage you to use our Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP).

Our EFAP program provides you with tools to support your mental health and well-being through our EFAP provider, Morneau Shepell. You have free access to:

  • Telephone counselling
  • Video counselling
  • E-counselling
  • Online group counselling
  • Online tools and resources

You can access the Morneau Shepell Care Access Centre by calling (toll-free) 1-844-880-9142 or by accessing their services online through www.workhealthlife.com. Under “Get in Touch”, you can request services and e-Counselling, exchange messages with a counselor, or read the various articles and resources available to you. Don’t forget, you can always reach out to your Store Manager or Human Resources Business Partner for support, as well.

Thank you for your continued commitment to one another and our customers. Your health and well-being will continue to be our very top priority, and we’ll get through this, together.

Priority #1: Safety first

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

Last week, we shared with you that we were back at the table with your bargaining committee and UFCW 401. After some time away, we came to the table ready for constructive, collaborative conversations to work together towards a new collective agreement.

While we returned to the table as planned, we couldn’t help but acknowledge the strain that the bargaining process was placing on our stores and retail teammates, during a time of already increased pressure.

Since this global crisis began, employee and customer safety has been our number one priority. Our frontline teammates are serving Canadian families during a time of great anxiety. Our distribution centres are working around the clock, and our back-office operations are laser-focused on supporting our stores.

We know that this terrible crisis has also impacted our frontline teams. While bargaining last week, we noticed the increased stress bargaining was adding to our strong culture at Safeway. During this time of crisis, we have made the difficult decision to temporarily step away from the bargaining table to continue focusing on the safety of our teammates and our customers. Alberta needs us. Canada needs us.

It is very important that bargaining positions are not confused with COVID-19 concerns. We need to continue focusing 100% of our efforts on operating as an essential service at a time when our communities need us more than ever. We have been at the bargaining table for over a year now and unfortunately, due to this crisis, we need a little more time. We look forward to getting back to the table to have proactive discussions in May as planned.  We need to stand together now, more than ever before. Our teammates have been doing an incredible job serving Canadians during these unprecedented times and we are so thankful for their efforts. Alberta families can rest assured knowing that together, we’re here to support them.

Safeway Beacon Heights – Calgary, AB

Staying Safeway Strong

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

Team,

The last few weeks have been incredibly challenging. We experienced panic buying based on fear and the reality of the seriousness of the situation, but we stuck together and we’re now finding many new routines. As these uncertain times continue, I wanted to take a moment to send my sincere appreciation for your tremendous hard work and dedication to serving our Alberta Division communities. I have never been more proud of our frontline heroes. Your dedication, hard work and compassion are incredible. Thank you!

As we continue to operate as an essential service for Canadian families, the health and safety of our teammates and customers remains our top priority. Over the last few weeks, we have made a series of changes to help keep you safe;

  • Created a process for teammates to wash their hands every fifteen minutes.
  • Added extra resources to wipe down common areas more often.
  • Installed plexiglass cashier shields and backboards to protect our teammates and customers.
  • Added floor markers at check out to help facilitate a two-meter distance as customers line up.
  • Asking customers who bring reusable bags to pack their own groceries.
  • Limited the number of customers in the store to promote physical distancing along with front vestibule monitoring and cart sanitation.
  • Restricted the sale and redemption of Lotto, vending machines, Western Union and Rug Doctor.
  • Increased the tap limit on credit card purchases to decrease contact and high-touch surfaces.
  • Closed full service departments and cancelled all product demos and sampling events
  • Providing gloves, masks and face shields as PPE for those employees who want them.

We’ve also implemented “one-way aisles” to ensure customers do not pass too closely together when going in opposite directions, and we’re encouraging customers to designate one individual per family do to the shopping for their home. These are a few of the many measures in place to help keep all of us safe and healthy.

As well, we are in constant communication with Health Canada and Alberta Health Services (AHS) to ensure we are taking the necessary steps to support our teammates that are impacted by COVID-19. Out of respect and their confidentiality, we will not release any personal information about our people, but will be transparent with where we have been notified of COVID-19 cases in our stores. We will continue to work with AHS in each COVID scenario.

I know it hasn’t been easy, but I am so grateful for your leadership and support during these difficult times. You continue to prove that our Safeway pride is strong in Alberta, and we will continue to stand side-by-side as we navigate through this together.

 

Scott Chollak

VP, Alberta Operations

Looking ahead, together.

Posted on by Sudhanshu Rewari

It goes without saying that these are truly unprecedented times. We have seen more customers come through our doors in a shorter period of time than ever before. But one thing that has stayed the same is our incredible team. You continue to come to work with a positive attitude, a commitment to serving our customers, and a love for what you do. Thank you for joining us as we stand side-by-side as an essential service that our communities can count on.

In a few days, we’ll be back at the table with the bargaining committee and UFCW 401. We’re looking forward to continuing these conversations and working together on a new collective agreement that will govern how we operate over the next few years. To support these conversations, we’ll have the assistance of a government-appointed mediator who we hope will help to bring attention to the things important to all of us.

While we can’t lose sight of the extraordinary work we’re doing during this pandemic, we also need to ensure Safeway is positioned for success once the impacts of COVID-19 have subsided. Two of the key points we hope to reiterate include:

  • Safeway stores in Alberta need to be refreshed and modernized. We are long-term, trusted supporters of so many Alberta communities and we will continue to provide Albertans with a high-quality, full-service grocery option with our Safeway stores. Our Safeway stores need to be bright and inviting to compete in the market. We have plans to invest $200 million to refresh our Safeway stores. However, we need the right collective agreement in place to do so.
  • Albertans continue to change the way they shop, and many customers are on the hunt for a reliable discount grocery option. As the economy continues to shift, Alberta families are managing their budgets differently. It’s important that we respond to this customer need for a functional, competitive discount grocery store. To support company growth, while providing Albertans with secure and stable jobs, we need to deliver the kind of stores that our customers want. To do so, we will open new FreshCo stores where our customers have made it clear that there is a need.

We’re looking forward to continuing positive, cooperative conversations with UFCW 401 as we take the steps necessary to begin executing our plan to win, together. We will continue to keep you up to date on progress. Thank you, again, for all that you do in our stores.