Andronico’s 'Brings Healthy Back' With FitBank Mobile Rewards

Expanding its innovative FitMarket program launched in stores and online in September 2015, Berkeley, Calif.-based Andronico’s Community Market is making good on its commitment to “Bring Healthy Back” with a new, mobile rewards program for customers and employees.

In an exclusive partnership with FitBank – part of fitness app Sweat.Works Global Gym – Andronico’s will kick off the new initiative in its San Francisco store at Irving Street at Funston on Jan. 16, during its FitMarket Faire. During the healthy living event, which will be rolled out to the specialty food retailer's other locations in the coming weeks, coaches, nutritionists, chefs and fitness professionals will be on hand to offer support to customers and employees in-store, alongside companion support on Andronico’s website.

"FitMarket is rooted in our determination to help community members create balance between how they shop, cook, eat, exercise and re-charge," explained Suzy Monford, Andronico’s CEO. "At our January 16 launch we will offer free in-store health and nutrition counsel, along with fitness guidance and demonstrations from experts.”

Andronico's customers and employees can join FitBank via registration on the grocer's website, while users of the free Sweat.Works Global Gym app will find their own FitBank account for tracking their workouts and earning credits.

Through FitMarket, Andronico’s is using FitBank to offer store gift cards and coupons for free products. Users’ workouts will earn them credits in their FitBank account – all stored and tracked in the user’s app dashboard.

While Andronico’s employees can cash in FitBank credits for an extra paid day off or gift card equivalent to a day’s pay, customers and the public will be rewarded with coupons for health and fitness products, or with Andronico’s store gift cards. For users that achieve the “Sweat 16” goal of 16 workouts in any four-week period, Andronico’s will further enhance the incentive with $100 in free produce, to be dispersed via $25 per week during the following four weeks.

"This is a program aimed at supporting our community. That’s why we have included such local partners as 24 Hour Fitness, Yoga Kula in Berkeley, and OrangeTheory Fitness in Walnut Creek,” added Bridget Kwok, director of marketing for Andronico’s. “FitMarket events are a place for community members to support one another in their healthy living efforts.”

FitBank is a fully customizable incentive program embedded in the Sweat.Works Global Gym app. Companies, communities and social groups can use FitBank to capture fitness metrics, record workouts and set up fitness challenges for groups. Along with FitBank, Sweat.Works Global Gym features a free “sweat search” engine. Built initially to serve the San Francisco Bay Area, Sweat.Works users can find the nation’s biggest database of more than 50,000 gyms, organized by their distance from the app user.

Since its founding in 1929, Andronico’s has advocated for local and artisanal products, and has sought to promote the health and welfare of its communities with programs including S.E.E.D. (Students and Educators Everyday Discount), and now with FitMarket, the company’s new program that integrates fitness and health coaching into its support for health and wellness.

“We want our communities and our teammates to enjoy a fit, balanced life,” said Monford, who founded the Sweat.Works Global Gym start-up. “We can’t give folks more time in the day, the biggest challenge in getting to the gym, but with FitBank rewards, we more than double the ROI on their invested time.”

The privately owned Andronico’s Community Markets, which offers a full range of specialty, organic and conventional groceries, has stores in Berkeley, San Francisco, San Anselmo and Los Altos.