Wegmans: The New Grocery Frontier
How Wegmans’ combination of relationship-building and technological vision is making them the best grocery store chain in America
Although Wegmans, a popular family-owned grocery chain, has been around for 102 years, you wouldn’t know it walking through its doors.
Packed with top-notch produce, restaurant-quality prepared meals and high-tech shopping innovations, it’s no wonder the grocery store chain was ranked the nation’s best in 2018, according to a survey conducted by Market Force Information.
The Rochester-based regional grocery chain with over 90 stores and $8.3 billion in sales has adapted to the changing climate in retail shopping while maintaining a customer-centric approach.
Not only is Wegmans considered a great place to shop, but also an excellent place to work, according to both employees and the industry.
Grocery Shopping in the 21st Century
Not surprisingly, Wegmans is very popular with college students at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) in its hometown of Rochester, New York – as customers and a possible employer.
Senior Industrial Engineering student Madeline Galvin sought out a position at Wegmans as part of the university’s co-op program. She works for Project Support Services within the IT department for Wegmans corporate and may stay after graduation.
“I love Wegmans. It’s my favorite thing,” she told The Reporter.
Galvin supports project managers on IT projects at Wegmans including:
- E-notifications from the pharmacy that deliver text messages about prescriptions that need to be filled or picked up
- Streamlining scholarship application processes for student employees
- Improving Wegmans app that now includes digital coupons based on the customer’s prior Shopper’s Club purchases
- LaneHawk, a camera that detects items at the bottom of a shopping cart
- Partnering with Instacart, enabling customers to buy their groceries online and have them delivered in less than an hour
- Extensive data collection and analysis on grocery store items
Beyond these innovations, Galvin mentioned that the store has been able to set itself apart from its competition because it “offers an experience.” It has high standards for its employees as well as its products.
A Winner in Best Companies to Work For
Wegmans ranked third on Fortune’s “100 Best Companies to Work for” in 2019. And for good reason. The regional grocery store phenomenon spends more than $50 million a year on training and development for its employees. Can I get a promotion on aisle five please?
Wegmans also awarded $5 million in tuition assistance to its employees with student loans this year – a true rarity among grocery chains.
Sustainability
Wegmans technological advances don’t stop at convenience and increasing sales, the company has also used technology to enable its sustainability initiatives.
According to its website, Wegmans key initiatives include:
- Creating sustainable packaging
- Reducing emissions from non-renewable energy sources and refrigeration systems
- Reducing waste in landfills
The company’s partnership with the Rochester Institute of Technology’s (RIT) allowed Wegmans to use renewable plant-based material, mineral fillers and post-consumer recycled plastic in its packaging. Wegmans also installed LED lights in stores and solar panels at several corporate office buildings, distribution centers and various store locations.
Widely revered by those that live close to one of these famed supermarkets, Wegmans continues to revolutionize the grocery store experience and better itself and the communities it serves. It’s easy to see how Wegmans is more than just a grocery store. Will the bigger chains catch on or be left in aisle nine?