Shoprite Named Top Retail Employer in the Capital Region

A new survey just released by the Albany Times Union ranks ShopRite Supermarkets as the top retail workplace in the Capital Region, and second overall among all companies with more than 500 employees in the area. The Times Union officially announced the results of their annual “Top Workplaces” survey on Sunday, April 21, 2013, just two weeks after ShopRite held the grand opening of its new Colonie location – the chain’s fourth store to open in the past 18 months. In conducting their survey, the Times Union and their project partner, Workplace Dynamics, invited companies with at least 35 workers in the Capital Region to have their employees grade their workplace.  The employers were then ranked based solely on the employee responses received through the survey.  Combined, the companies surveyed employ nearly 15,000 people in the Capital Region. Tom Urtz, ShopRite Supermarkets Vice President of Human Resources and Community Affairs, said, “ShopRite is humbled and proud to have been named as the top retail workplace in the Capital Region and we will wear this designation as a badge of honor, but it is because of our fantastic team of Capital Region employees that ShopRite is a great place to work.  Their dedication to our customers and each other is second to none and they deserve all the credit.” ShopRite, which is the only unionized supermarket in the region, also received special recognition as the “Standout Performer,” in the category of Managers. According to the Times Union, ShopRite employees cited flexible scheduling, a family atmosphere, opportunities for growth and a strong sense of purpose among the reasons they enjoyed working for the company.  Employees also pointed to the store’s policy of providing them with free CDTA bus passes, which can be used to get to work or other destinations. The four area ShopRite stores are owned and operated by ShopRite Supermarkets, Inc. (SRS), a wholly owned subsidiary of Wakefern Food Corp., the largest supermarket cooperative in the United States.  SRS also operates 28 other ShopRite stores in New York. “The Capital Region has greeted the return of ShopRite with open arms, both in terms of support among area shoppers, and the fantastic team of employees we have been able to hire,” Urtz said.  “We couldn’t be more optimistic about our future.”