WEST SACRAMENTO, CALIF. “PANDEMIC RESPONSE”
Bold, deliberate, consistent: These define West Sacramento, Calif.-based Raley’s actions throughout 2020, from opening a new concept—the “curated collection”-focused Raley’s O-N-E Market—to converting a shuttered location into a temporary e-commerce fulfillment center to contracting extra store security to help ensure a safe in-store experience for shoppers and staff alike.
“It helps when you have a purpose that inspires and drives your organization, and our purpose is to change the way the world eats one plate at a time,” says Raley’s CEO Keith Knopf. (Read more from WGB's interview with Knopf here.)
As consumers grappled with lives and routines upended by the COVID-19 pandemic, Raley’s sought to provide more convenient, more flexible shopping options, investing in hiring additional staff for online order fulfillment (available for pickup or delivery in as little as two hours). The 126-store grocer also debuted a new wellness component to its loyalty program, dubbed Raley’s Something Extra Health, offering health and wellness guidance from a registered dietitian.
To support staff amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Raley’s issued service reward payments to staff members in Raley’s stores, distribution centers, pharmacies, production bakery and support center in April, May, June and October. Stores added a new position, Social Distancing and Cleaning Marshall, to help enforce updated store policies and procedures, and Raley’s now offers curbside pickup for pharmacy orders.
“We are inspired by not just the bottom line but our desire to do good and be an important part of the community and take care of our team in ways that may not be top of mind for other retailers,” Knopf says. “It’s just who we are, and that really comes from being a family-owned independent company for 85 years.”
Raley’s longstanding commitment to feeding the communities it serves only accelerated in 2020, as well—the Raley’s Food for Families holiday food drive raised more than $3 million (a 43% increase over 2019) in support of 12 regional food banks.