SpartanNash Honors Independent Grocer Customers
Food solutions company SpartanNash recognized its independent grocer customers’ achievements at its 2024 Food Solutions Expo, which took place July 23-25 at DeVos Place Convention Center, in Grand Rapids. Mich. The company presented eight independent grocers with 2023-24 Vision Awards for their customer focus and excellent customer service.
“We’re proud that our customers contribute to our mission to deliver the ingredients for a better life, and it’s an honor to celebrate the impressive impact they have in their communities,” noted SpartanNash EVP and Chief Customer Officer Amy McClellan. “Their stores serve as critical food destinations, centers of connectivity for neighborhoods, and places to enjoy meaningful careers.”
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The SpartanNash Core Behavior Award recipients were as follows:
- Leppinks Food Centers: With local community sponsorships and annual customer appreciation events, Michigan Grocer’s Outstanding Retailer embodies the SpartanNash We Serve Core Behavior.
- Fresh Encounter Inc.: After a devastating tornado, Fresh Encounter store lived up to the We Create Solutions Core Behavior by reopening an affected store two weeks later.
- Nilssens Foods: The company models the We Win Core Behavior by investing in store remodels, earning recognition as the 2023 Wisconsin Grocers Association Grocer of the Year and donating more than $42,000 to its local community through an annual golf tournament.
- Fate’s Market: From its recent 102nd Anniversary Sale parking lot party to its creative marketing materials, the team exemplifies the We Have Fun Core Behavior.
- Leevers Foods: A leader in creating tag concepts for electronic shelf labels (ESLs), reducing labor and waste, and streamlining pricing and accuracy, the fourth-generation grocer garnered the Delivering the Ingredients for a Better Life award.
Also bestowed were Performance Awards, given to customers committed to providing shoppers with value and quality via private label products:
- Randy’s Neighborhood Market: Large Market Size Winner
- Town & Country Supermarkets: Mid-Market Size Winner
- Cahoy’s General Store: Small Market Size Winner
According to the company, more than 1,500 attendees, including independent grocer customers, vendors and SpartanNash associates, gathered at the Food Solutions Expo for industry deals, networking and education.
As well as being the wholesale supplier to more than 2,100 retail locations nationwide, SpartanNash provides a wide range of services to its independent customers, including those related to marketing, merchandising, pharmacy, asset protection, financial and retail technology support.
With its 17,000 associates, Grand Rapids, Mich.-based SpartanNash operates two complementary business segments: food wholesale and grocery retail. Its global supply chain network serves wholesale customers that include independent and chain grocers, national retail brands, e-commerce platforms, and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges. On the retail side, SpartanNash operates 147 brick-and-mortar grocery stores, primarily under the banners of Family Fare, Martin's Super Markets, and D&W Fresh Market, in addition to dozens of pharmacies and fuel centers. The company is No. 45 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. SpartanNash is also among PG’s 2024 10 Most Sustainable Grocers.
