The Best Workplaces in Food Retail
Fortune has released its 2023 Best Workplaces in Retail list. To produce the list, the publication partnered with global people analytics firm Great Place to Work to analyze survey feedback representing more than 133,000 U.S. employees. Questions focused on their experiences with their companies, including innovation, company values and the effectiveness of leaders.
[Read more: “Shoppers Say These Grocers Have Best Customer Service”]
The No. 1 spot in the 20 best large retail workplaces went to Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans Food Markets Inc. Ninety percent of employees at Wegmans say that it’s a great place to work, compared with 57% of employees at a typical U.S.-based company. Family-owned Wegmans operates more than 100 stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and Massachusetts.
Publix Super Markets ranked No. 6 on Fortune’s list. Associates say that the company’s support of them, dedication to service, welcoming culture and community support are some of the reasons that they enjoy working for the food retailer.
“Publix is proud to be recognized as one of the best workplaces in the retail industry for the 10th year in a row,” said Maria Brous, director of communications for Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix. “We strive to uphold the philosophies our company was founded on 93 years ago, which begins with taking care of our associates.”
According to the grocer, it focuses on supporting and encouraging wellness across all aspects of associates’ lives, including career growth, social well-being, physical health, and overall mental/emotional health and wellness. As the largest employee-owned company in the country, with more than 250,000 associates, Publix offers its associates the opportunity to become company owners through its employee stock ownership and employee stock purchase plans. Publix also helps its associates further their education with tuition reimbursement benefits and offers a variety of career paths and opportunities for advancement.
Publix currently operates 1,351 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
Other food retailers to make the 20 best large retail workplaces list include Target Corp., at No. 2; Sheetz Inc., at No. 3; Southeastern Grocers, at No. 13; Nugget Market Inc., at No. 14; ALDI at No. 15; and Island Pacific Supermarket, at No. 17.
Wegmans is No. 37 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. Publix is No. 12 on The PG 100, while Minneapolis-based Target Corp. is No. 6; Altoona, Pa.-based Sheetz is No. 38; Jacksonville, Fla.-based Southeastern Grocers is No. 44; and Batavia, Ill.-based ALDI U.S. is No. 26.
