Over the next ten years Spartan also became involved in several humanitarian projects, including sponsorship of several area food bank and youth programs and a golf tournament to benefit the American Cancer Society.
The company's most notable community project, however, has been its exclusive sponsorship of the Michigan Special Olympics Summer Games, which it took on in Spartan's role as sponsor is highly publicized every year through television, radio, and newspapers.
Furthermore, Spartan designates around products that are carried by its retailers as Special Olympics items; the products are advertised and five cents from each sale of these items goes to the support and promotion of this annual event.
In addition to paying the way for athletes to travel to and participate in the games, Spartan provides printed programs and entertainment, as well as food for the hundreds of volunteers who supervise and officiate the games. The s were a very productive and successful period for Spartan Stores. Annual sales rose by nearly ten percent through That year the company was ranked as Michigan's largest grocery wholesaler, and the 12th largest in the country.
Although financially successful during this time, Spartan began to receive complaints from some of its member stores, who charged that Spartan seemed more interested in maintaining the status quo than fostering communication and cooperation between retailer and distributor.
Agreeing that management lacked a vision for the company's continued growth and improvement, the board decided to elect a new president. Quinn was charged with reestablishing positive relationships and developing a specific and detailed long-term plan for the company. When questioned about his lack of background in retailing, Quinn told Supermarket News that "it puts me in a naive position, so I can ask questions that may not have been asked in a long time, such as why something is done a certain way.
It causes people to think, reexamine why things are done as they are. Considering himself a "visible" manager who would strive to be available and responsive, Quinn pledged to visit stores and warehouses in an effort to establish good relations with employees and become better educated about retailers needs.
Quinn's vision for the company was characterized as "getting back to basics," a practice realized through several of his early decisions as Spartan's president. He eliminated the computerized vending system in Spartan's Grand Rapids distribution center when he found numerous bugs in the system and noted the increasing expense of its maintenance.
He also brought back the conventional wooden pallet, used to move boxes in and out of the company's truck trailers, when he observed that newer high-tech metal mechanisms were more cumbersome and less reliable. Quinn also stressed the importance of keeping Spartan retailers happy. Toward that end he created the position of a customer service director who, by reporting directly to Quinn, could help improve communication and solve problems in all areas of the business. In September , hoping to gain more warehouse and office space, Spartan entered negotiations to purchase Eberhard Foods, a Grand Rapids chain of 22 stores.
Kroger had a sizable presence in Florida in the mid to late s. Currently, Kroger itself has just one Florida location—a store near Jacksonville that was acquired through its purchase of Harris Teeter two years ago.
No, they are their own company, however they do share the same union as they are grocery stores. No, Safeway is a different company than Kroger.
Begin typing your search term above and press enter to search. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Resume What happened Spartan brand? Ben Davis June 2, What happened Spartan brand? Is SpartanNash a Fortune company? What is our family brand? What are some family foods? Lindsey Smith. See stories by Lindsey Smith. Related Content. He expects….
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