Category: Provinces

Supporting the Humboldt Broncos Billet Program with a $200,000 Donation

Posted on by Maninder Singh

Last April, Canadians united in shock and sorrow when 16 people lost their lives in a tragic collision, including 10 Humboldt Broncos players. In the weeks that followed, our country came together to show support for the victim’s families, team and community.

Local store teams responded immediately following the tragedy by providing food for crisis centre volunteers and flowers, gift cards and care packages for the billet families who provided a ‘home away from home’ for players. Sobeys Inc. also made a $15,000 donation to STARS air ambulance in Saskatchewan to honour the efforts of local first responders and the Humboldt Broncos hockey team. And like our fellow Canadians across the country, Safeway employees showed their support for the Humboldt community by wearing sports jerseys and green ribbons, baking special donuts and cookies, and raising funds in-store.

We also made a promise to stand with the Humboldt Broncos, their families, and the entire community when the team was ready to move ahead. That time came last week ahead of the Humboldt Broncos home opener.

At Elgar Petersen Arena, home of the Humboldt Broncos, we came together again to show our support. Sobeys Inc. announced a $200,000 donation over two years to support the Humboldt Broncos Billet Program. At the event, the Broncos billet families were joined by Jamie Brockman, president of the Humboldt Broncos Board of Directors, Kathleen Keen, Humboldt Broncos’ Billet Co-Ordinator, Northern Saskatchewan District Operator Todd Leibel, Humboldt Sobeys franchisee Dave and Joann Doepker, and Natalina Porpiglia-Dafnis of our Community Investment team.

Each season, the Broncos recruit talented hockey players to play at the junior hockey level. To take advantage of this great opportunity, the players need billet families willing to share their homes. The billet program is an important example of the Humboldt community opening their doors to help nurture and support the young men who begin their journey with the 2018-19 Broncos team, and these funds will go a long way in making that happen. As part of this support, each month one Humboldt Broncos home game will be billed as the Sobeys Family Day Game, where we will provide food samples and giveaways.

Across the country, but especially among Safeway team members in Saskatchewan, we will remain steadfast in our support as the Broncos and Humboldt community continue to heal.

Working hard to compete in today’s grocery landscape

Posted on by Maninder Singh

It’s no secret that how people shop is changing. And so are customer expectations.

Today’s shoppers demand different levels of service, more convenience and more value. That’s why we are working to tap into new opportunities that will keep customers in our stores.

Changing customer trends have led many Alberta retail businesses to rethink their structures, their practices and their offerings to keep people coming back.

Especially as the economy slowed over the past few years, the companies that are successful are those who have changed what they did and how they did it — tightening their belts and adjusting their operations to react faster to industry changes and customer needs.

These changes gave our competitors a leg up in the new economy, and we have to make sure we can position ourselves in a way that allows us to better compete. We need increased operational flexibility and reduced labour costs so we can continue to provide good, stable jobs for our teams across Alberta.

We’ve undergone a lot of change to keep our business healthy. We’ve restructured offices across Canada, improved our Retail Service Centre network and expanded our store offerings, specifically in the area of health and wellness. We’ve also been able to successfully negotiate new collective agreements in other markets that will help us to become competitive in those areas.

There are a lot of options out there to meet customers’ grocery shopping needs. Huge stores like Walmart and Costco have entered our communities and are growing fast, as are discounters like No Frills. In this highly competitive environment, we have to provide the experience shoppers are looking for — so they don’t find it somewhere else.

Now, our evolving store network strategy includes offering our customers more options to address their shopping needs. Many of our customers now have the option to shop at our discount banner FreshCo, as well as our full service banners Safeway, Sobeys and IGA.

We must listen to the needs of our customers to strengthen our growing business and make sure we are able to compete in this new landscape.

Our goal is to build a stable future for our Company — positioning us not only to survive, but to thrive in Alberta. That way we can give our customers what they want and provide thousands of good jobs in communities across the province.

It’s more important than ever to evolve and meet our customers’ changing needs so that we can return to our place as one of Alberta’s leading grocery stores.

Stay up-to-date with us at www.safewaytalks.ca.

Two Winnipeg Safeway Stores converting to FreshCo banner

Posted on by Maninder Singh

Today, Sobeys Inc. announced plans to convert two Safeway locations in Winnipeg to the discount FreshCo banner in order to meet growing customer demand for more competitive food prices. The two FreshCo stores will open in Spring, 2019.

The decision to convert these two stores follows an extensive review of customer feedback and demand, demographics, and the evolving preferences of consumers. Converting these locations to the FreshCo format will allow us to meet the needs of local customers and continue to grow our business.

We remain committed to providing our customers with the best grocery shopping experiences in their communities. In addition to our full-service format stores, the FreshCo stores will now offer customers a discount grocery experience with clear low price messages, an easy shopping experience, and high-quality products at the best value for their money.

As always, we are sincerely grateful for the commitment and dedication of our Safeway employees for providing the best service our customers.  We will work closely with our employees and their union to ensure the terms of the collective agreement are met.

The following Safeway locations in Winnipeg will be temporarily closed for renovations beginning October 13, 2018:

  • Safeway Kildonan Crossing: 500 – 1615 Regent Ave. West, Winnipeg
  • Safeway Jefferson: 920 Jefferson Ave., Winnipeg

The pharmacies at both locations and the gas bar at Safeway Jefferson will remain open and continue to serve customers.

This change will not only better meet the needs of our customers in these communities, but will also help to strengthen our growing business.

We will continue to keep you informed of these two conversions on SafewayTalks.ca.

More time to take part in the Alberta Summer Kickoff!

Posted on by Maninder Singh

We have extended the deadline for the Safeway Talks Alberta Summer Kickoff contest to July 31.

Safeway Talks is the best way to hear first-hand about all things Safeway and we want to make sure all of our Alberta staff have the chance to get involved in the contest.

It’s important to us that we can share news on company updates and exciting initiatives with everyone who works in our stores.

If you haven’t already, visit www.safewaytalks.ca/contest today to enter for your chance to win one of three great prizes:

  • A Big Green Egg barbecue
  • A $750 Safeway gift card
  • A $500 Safeway gift card

If you’re already signed-up, great! Tell your friends and make sure they don’t miss out on the fun. The draw will now take place on August 1.

Thank you for being a valued part of Safeway’s success. Together, we can keep building stronger stores and great teams across Alberta.

Keep checking in with us at SafewayTalks.ca.

Safeway celebrates Canada Day

Posted on by Maninder Singh

Safeway stores across the country were decked out in red and white on Sunday, July 1 to celebrate Canada’s 151st birthday.

Customers visiting our stores over the long weekend were treated to barbecues and celebration events where they had the opportunity to sample some of Canada’s best locally-sourced products and see the impressive Canada Day-themed merchandising displays built by store team members.

Here are a few pictures of our stores:

 

Great job to everyone who gave our customers a memorable and fun-filled Canada Day experience!

Safeway stores kick-off summer season with National Summer Food Fair

Posted on by Maninder Singh

On Saturday, June 23, Safeway stores across Canada kicked off the start of the summer season with the first-ever National Summer Food Fair.

While the celebrations varied slightly from store to store, all of our customers were treated to an afternoon of good food and entertainment at their local Safeway stores all across the country.

Our Summer Food Fair is all about celebrating summer and highlighting our great product offerings so our customers can enjoy a thrilling shopping experience. Themed More Summer, More Fun, More Sun, And More Yum! our customers sampled delicious new products featured in our Summer 2018 magazine to inspire them to “Get More Summer”.

Customers also had the opportunity to sample some great locally-sourced products during the Summer Food Fair.

In addition to the food, fun and games, many of our stores also used the Summer Food Fair as an opportunity to give back to their local communities. Thanks to the generosity of our customers, we were able to raise funds for a variety of local causes and community partners.

Congratulations and a job well done to all of the stores that participated in our first-ever National Summer Food Fair. Your commitment to serving the customers with great service and selection in our Safeway stores gave our customers a great start to summer!

Sign up for the Safeway Talks Alberta Summer Kick Off!

Posted on by Maninder Singh

We’re kicking off this summer with a Safeway Talks contest for our valued Alberta employees!

From June 11 to July 15, 2018, Alberta staff can log onto www.safewaytalks.ca/contest and enter to win:

  • A Big Green Egg barbecue
  • A $750 Safeway gift card
  • A $500 Safeway gift card

Plus, the Alberta Safeway store with the most sign-ups will win a pizza party.

Since you’re already signed up with Safeway Talks, just visit the contest website and re-enter your name, employee number and contact information for your chance to win.

Safeway Talks is a great place to hear first-hand about company updates, industry changes and challenges, and exciting initiatives going on in our own stores. Please spread the word to your friends and coworkers so they can get signed up and take part in the fun too.

Thank you for working hard with us every day to help build stronger stores for our Alberta communities.

Keep checking in with us on SafewayTalks.ca for the latest company news.

Glenmore Landing Expanded Kosher Selection

Posted on by Maninder Singh

We’re proud of our Glenmore Landing store here in Calgary, where an expanded kosher food selection is receiving great feedback from our customers.

“We’ve added nearly 800 new kosher items, sourced from across Canada at the request of our customers. We want to be the place our customers want to shop. To do that, we needed to respond to their needs,” said Safeway Glenmore Landing Store Manager Doug Felker.

Our Safeway stores provide a wide range of options for different consumer needs. Our expanded kosher selection at Glenmore Landing is just one way we are responding to the needs of our customers.

“Carrying kosher meat and products is something we haven’t done in the past. We listened to our customers and they’re thrilled. I’m hearing every day, whether it’s on our social media or in store, our customers are very happy with what we’ve done,” said Felker.

“We created a forum for customers to share their requests for kosher products. We can’t guarantee that we can get everything, but we’ve done our best to get all the products we could get our hands on. They’ll ask me in store, and I said if there is something you don’t see in store, let me know and we can do our best to get it in.”

One of the most exciting parts of the new products at Glenmore Landing is the response Felker has seen and heard from customers in his store.

“We’ve reset our store to profile these products. Customers are congregating around this section and chatting with friends. It’s great to see and great to have our customers back in our store.”

We look forward to continuing to serve our customers in Calgary and across Western Canada with great service and selection in our Safeway stores.

B.C. Safeway store closures – delayed to July 5

Posted on by Maninder Singh

To our valued employees,

As you are aware, we have been in negotiations with UFCW 1518 regarding the reopener of our Collective Agreement. Negotiations with UFCW 247 and BCT have not yet begun.

We continue to focus our negotiations on reaching collective agreements that will ensure competitive operating costs in our Safeway stores and allow us to introduce our FreshCo. banner to customers in B.C.

Also, you may be aware the Labour Relations Board has appointed Mr. Vince Ready as Special Officer in this file. As part of Mr. Ready’s appointment, the company has agreed that the Safeway stores slated to close on May 5th will instead be closed on July 5th.

The store closure date changed to allow more time for discussion with the labour unions to take place. The store closure dates will not be changed beyond July 5. Through our discussions with Mr. Ready, we are hoping that this 2-month adjournment of store closures will allow him the time he needs to do his job and we believe that this is best for both the company and our employees.

Over the coming weeks, we will be working with the unions to ensure employee bumping rights and seniority are preserved and realigned in accordance with the new closure date of July 5th as required.

We will provide you with information you can share in store to respond to customer questions.

Be sure to visit SafewayTalks.ca regularly to stay up to date. We will continue to provide updates here and with your store manager.

Special Officer Appointed to help us move forward in British Columbia

Posted on by Maninder Singh

On March 28, Hon. Harry Bains, Minister of Labour, appointed a Special Officer to help us move the reopener and the New Banner bargaining along with UFCW 1518.

It’s important that we reach agreements that work for everyone and we look forward to working with Special Officer, Vince Ready and your unions to help us get there.

Competition is growing and in recent years our competitors have added more than two million square feet of store space across B.C. – that’s equal to 57 Safeway stores! We also know that our customer demands are changing; discount stores like No Frills now make up nearly 44 per cent of the Canadian food retail market. Reaching collective agreements that will allow us to compete more effectively will help us tackle these challenges head on in B.C.

We look forward to working collaboratively with Mr. Ready and your unions to achieve agreements that will help us take on the competition, respond to changing customer preferences and bring our FreshCo. stores to B.C.

Together we’ll get it done.

Keep up-to-date with what’s going on at www.SafewayTalks.ca.