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Huge and healthy Founded in 1916 as the Rochester Fruit & Vegetable Company by entrepreneurial brothers John and Walter Wegman, the Wegmans chain of food markets has turned into a major retail powerhouse. Nearly all of Wegmans' 60,000 products are household items. Among these, 1,200 are private label products. The company has also been able to maintain a staple stock of organic and local products. The company opened its first Pennsylvania store in 1993 in Erie. Indeed, expansion seems to be a top priority: Wegmans opened its 59th store in Princeton, NJ in September 1999 and there are more in the works. Catering to Wegmans' 1.5 million customers each week requires upkeep. To accommodate the masses, the company employs more than 25,000 employees and owns a commercial bakery and meat processing center. The efficiency seems to have paid off: Wegmans earns over $2 billion in sales each year. To keep all those cutomers happy, Wegmans now offers two more helpful options to many of its shoppers. 29 Wegman stores have installed childcare facilities that allow parents to leave their children under free supervision for a maximum of two hours while they shop in the store or socialize in the coffee shop. The W-Kids Play Center in Princeton, NJ receives about 500 kids a week, while mothers and fathers spend money in Wegmans. And for those shoppers who don't want to make an extended visit to the store, Wegmans has partnered with Priceline.com. Customers can shop from home, naming their own price on groceries and other goods, while saving both time and money. Eliminating that not-so-fresh feeling Worried about freshness? Wegmans has incorporated an HACCP plan into every store and warehouse to ensure quality of perishable products and consumer confidence. All of Wegmans' employees are well-versed in the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point food-safety plan and 700 employees are HACCP-certified. The plan started with the seafood department in 1995, HACCP now covers every warehouse and store department. The company is one of the first chains to cover its warehouses with an HACCP plan, and while the federal government has not dictated a mandate yet for retailers, one is sure to be issued in the near future. Meanwhile, Wegmans keeps one step ahead. Vitamins, minerals, and TV In recent years, the company has been catering to the demands of a more health-conscious public. In late 1988 Wegmans launched an extensive line of private-label vitamins, minerals, and herbs, offered in the Nature's Marketplace department, available in many of the Wegman stores. This department also stocks natural beauty products and natural foods. The 150-item Wegmans Brand line is free of artificial preservatives, colors and flavors, sugar, starch, corn, yeast, wheat, egg, and milk. In 1999, as part of its "Savor a True Taste of Sicily" program, Wegmans decided to air its first television cooking program. The 30-minute show, entitled the non-too-creative "What's for Dinner Tonight?," will air in markets where Wegmans operates. Party like it's 1999 In 1999 Fortune magazine once again named Wegmans one of the "100 Best Companies to Work For." Coming in at a respectable 43, Wegmans was the highest-ranking retailer on the list. In addition, Wegmans came in at number 52 on Forbes private 500 list. Another 1999 triumph involved partnership. Wegmans formed a promotional partnership with Monro Muffler Brake. Beginning early in the year, Wegmans Shoppers Club card holders will receive discounts on services at over 500 Monro Muffler locations. The Wegmans/Monro partnership is scheduled to last for two years.
Wegmans lists all job openings on its Web site at www.wegmans.com/cgi-bin/wegmans/about/jobs/postings.pl. Applicants may mail their resumes to the corresponding address or email them using Wegmans' online processing system. The company generally takes two to three weeks to process resumes. Only successful applicants are contacted; however, all resumes are kept on file for one year, pending future openings. Many insiders are pleased by the company's "competitive salaries" and "merit-based promotions and pay raises." In addition, the employer offers a barrage of benefits, including full health coverage (including dental and paid prescriptions), a retirement savings plan, vacation and holiday pay, a Federal Credit Union, direct deposit, a scholarship program, an employee assistance program, and numerous employee discounts.
Wonderful Wegmans Wegmans insiders are thrilled by their company's "diverse, family-friendly atmosphere," in which people are free "to build their retail careers." One informant calls the environment "interactive and social." Another casts a more generalized opinion: "Wegmans is just a wonderful place to work!" Recent hires call upper-level managers "well-schooled" and "generous when it comes to mentoring." Meanwhile, long-time employees are pleased with the company's growing prestige. Says one: "We are considered the best-run supermarket in the U.S. We have made every list of the top 100 places to work, and have been the #1 retailer for the last two years." Could use more diversity Females, many insiders conclude, are welcome at Wegmans. "Women have done very well in store operations," announces one. "In fact, we have many high-level women working for us." Yet racial diversity seems to be less-than-stellar at the company: "We don't have as many minorities as we would like, but our trading area doesn't have the most diverse pool of candidates." Fortunately, "the tide of diversity is changing" as Wegmans enters "new markets like New Jersey and Pennsylvania." Not for everyone Wegmans isn't for everyone, insiders admit, particularly those who revel in their quiet Saturdays afternoons. "Retail is a lot of fun," concludes a source, "but if you're in 'store operations' (i.e. you work in a store), you will be working weekends. That turns a lot of people off, but that's when people are shopping these days."
Human Resources
Grocer;food-related products
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