SpartanNash Strives to Keep Military Commissaries Stocked
Despite the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the international supply chain, SpartanNash Co. said this week that its MDV military distribution operations are continuing to ship products to Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) commissaries and Army and Air Force Exchange Service (AAFES) and Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) exchanges.
“During this unprecedented time of growing need and uncertainty, SpartanNash is working diligently to ensure we are providing our nation’s heroes with essential household goods, groceries and comforts of home,” noted Dennis Eidson, interim president and CEO of the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company. “Our family of associates is working hard to keep our military commissaries’ and exchanges’ shelves stocked with household essentials, and to continue to serve as a trusted provider of food products, which has been our driving force for more than 100 years. We recognize in many remote military communities, we are the sole grocery distributor and our military heroes are relying on us."
Added Eidson: “As we continue to navigate the evolving COVID-19 pandemic, we remain committed to ensuring the well-being and safety of our family of associates, customers and communities and supporting health officials and government leaders to contain the virus. Our supply chain team is in constant contact with our consumer-packaged goods (CPG) suppliers and holds daily telephonic meetings with our military customers to ensure we have consistent inventory to ship to our military heroes.”
SpartanNash is teaming with its military customers on creative shipment solutions for troops stationed outside the continental United States. These solutions include airlifting product and revising naval shipping lanes into select European countries with U.S. military bases.
Also, to ensure delivery as retail and distribution sales volume trends at two to three times typical sales levels at some locations in response to the outbreak, the company has launched an initiative to hire qualified displaced workers for its military distribution centers in Bloomington, Ind.; Columbus, Ga.; Landover, Md.; Norfolk, Va.; Oklahoma City; Pensacola, Fla.; and San Antonio.
These temporary positions may become permanent career opportunities; jobs are also available in SpartanNash’s 150-plus grocery stores across nine states, as well as within its multi-state wholesale distribution network.
SpartanNash’s core businesses include distributing grocery products to various independent and chain retailers, its corporate-owned retail stores, and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges. No. 33 on Progressive Grocer’s 2019 Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States, the company serves customer locations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Bahrain, Djibouti and Egypt. It also operates 155 supermarkets, mainly under the banners of Family Fare, Martin’s Super Markets, D&W Fresh Market, VG’s Grocery and Dan’s Supermarket. Through its MDV military division, SpartanNash is a leading distributor of grocery products to US military commissaries.
