4 Food Retailers Recognized on People’s ‘Companies That Care’ List
Wegmans has ranked #1 on People's 2021 list of "Companies That Care." The list identifies the top 100 U.S. companies that have demonstrated respect, care, and concern for their employees, their communities, and the environment. Publix Supermarkets, Target Corp. and Nugget Market, Inc. were the only other food retailers to make the list.
In compiling the list, People magazine partnered with Great Place to Work to analyze surveys from more than 5 million employees on their experiences of how their workplaces have made a difference in their lives and their communities. Rankings also reflect Great Place to Work’s assessment of the generosity of each organization’s benefits, and their philanthropic and community support, with particular focus on activities that occurred in the last year.
Wegmans has been included on the list for five consecutive years.
“There is nothing more important to us than our people feeling cared for, so this award means the world to our family and our company,” said Colleen Wegman, president and CEO of Wegmans Food Markets. “Our philosophy has always been to take care of our people so they can take care of our customers. It has been incredibly inspiring to watch our people show up every day with a smile, ready to serve our customers while most of the world was asked to stay home. Thank you to both our people and our customers for helping create such a caring environment at Wegmans.”
Wegmans boasts that its employees have abundant opportunities for career growth through different development programs and internships and are offered tuition assistance through the Wegmans Scholarship Program. They also receive a range of benefits including health coverage, 401K contributions and competitive wages.
In addition, Wegmans is devoted to making a difference in its local communities through efforts like food bank donations, youth sports sponsorships and humanitarian relief.
Publix came in at No. 18 on People's Companies That Care list. This is the grocer’s second consecutive year on the list.
“Publix’s culture is focused on serving our customers and taking care of our associates, communities and planet,” said Publix VP of Public Affairs John Provenzano. “Our responsibility extends beyond our aisles and into our communities, a commitment that started with our founder, George Jenkins. Being recognized as a company that cares is an honor, especially as we’re continuing to navigate through the challenges of a pandemic.”
Over the past year, Publix recognized associates for their commitment to providing premier service by issuing Publix gift cards several times and accelerating its annual pay increases. The company also enhanced its benefits to meet its associates’ needs and hired thousands of new associates.
Publix also increased its decades-long support to help alleviate hunger in the communities it serves. In April, Publix announced its Feeding More Together program raised nearly $10 million in support of food banks and other hunger relief organizations throughout the Southeast. The retail chain has partnered with Feeding America for the last several years on hunger relief efforts.
Additionally, Publix announced earlier this year it would donate a total of $2 million to the National Audubon Society and the National Park Foundation to protect, restore and conserve two areas of the Florida Everglades, a wetland that supplies nearly 8 million Floridians with fresh water and provides a natural habitat for endangered native species. The initiatives will return an estimated 174 million gallons of water per year to the local environment.
Meanwhile, Target was number 23 on People’s list. Last month, the big-name retailer announced it is offering its more than 340,000 U.S.-based part-time and full-time frontline team members one of the most comprehensive debt-free education assistance program available in the retail industry. Beginning this fall, team members working in Target stores, distribution centers and headquarters locations will be eligible for debt-free assistance for select undergraduate degrees, certificates, certifications, free textbooks and more with no out-of-pocket costs on their first day of work at Target. Target is investing $200 million over the next four years in the program.
Davis-Calif. Based Nugget Market, Inc. came in at number 42 on the Companies That Care list. Family owned since 1926, Nugget Market boasts over 2,000 employees across its 16 locations in Northern California.
To see the full list of People's Companies that Care, visit greatplacetowork.com/best-workplaces/companies-that-care/2021.
In addition to making People’s list, Wegmans, Target, Publix and Nugget Market were also named to Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list.
Family-owned Wegmans operates 106 stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts. The Rochester, N.Y.-based company is No. 35 on Progressive Grocer’s 2021 PG 100 list of the top grocers in the United States. Privately owned and operated by its more than 225,000 employees, Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix has over 1,200 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. The company is No. 11 on The PG 100. Minneapolis-based Target Corp. is No. 6 on The PG 100.
