Large Regional Supermarket Chain

Type: Labor Communications

The client is a regional grocery retailer committed to providing high-quality products and an exceptional shopping experience. Renowned for its emphasis on fresh ingredients, value, and customer satisfaction, the company aims to deliver comprehensive and efficient service. With a strong focus on building lasting relationships, the company is dedicated to maintaining its reputation as a leader in the retail food industry.

Key Highlights:

Crafted a proactive labor communication strategy to manage potential union-related awareness during the opening of a new store.
Developed tailored resources for managers to effectively engage with employees about union matters and reinforce the company’s values.
Ensured a coordinated response across Leadership, HR, and Legal teams to maintain employee sentiment and address external union activities.

Overview

A values-driven, employee-first regional grocery retailer was planning to expand its footprint with a new store opening in February 2025. Given the company’s history of strong employee relations and the strategic timing of the launch, the company took a proactive approach to potential union awareness efforts from the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union.

The company engaged Reputation Partners to ensure employees at the new location understood the value it offers as an employer and felt supported through direct communication, personalized treatment, and a transparent explanation of union-related issues.

Strategy

Recognizing the potential for UFCW to raise its profile during the store launch, our team proactively developed a strategy to:

Reaffirm its commitment to employees.
Equip managers with messaging that supports open dialogue.
Maintain positive employee sentiment amid external influences.
Avoid escalation unless formal organizing efforts begin.

To support these objectives, we implemented a comprehensive internal engagement plan that included:

Manager talking points – Tailored messaging to address general union awareness efforts, such as local ads, hand billing, or events.
Assessment criteria – Framework for evaluating when a formal response to union activities is warranted based on monitoring employee sentiment and external messaging trends.
Reactive media statement – To ensure consistent, respectful communication with media outlets in the event of inquiries about union activities.
Leadership and management materials – A suite of internal resources, including FAQs, flyers and reference guides, designed to help managers confidently answer employee questions about unions and the company’s commitment to employee choice.

Results

Store leadership, HR, and Legal worked in sync to roll out messaging and gauge its effectiveness. A feedback loop was established to adjust communication as needed, and managers were reminded of the following:

Always embody the company’s core values in every interaction.
Maintain and prioritize one-on-one relationships with team members.
Encourage open, judgment-free conversations about representation.
Report any signs of union organizing via the existing reporting protocols.

The store opened successfully, drawing significant positive attention from employees and the broader community. While the union was on site during the opening, employees and customers were more engaged by the opening day activities and were not distracted by the union’s presence. Most of the media coverage from the opening did not discuss the union. Stories that did include the union only mentioned that they were onsite and did not incorporate any of their messaging or criticisms of the grocery retailer.