CINCINNATI, April 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger
Co. (NYSE: KR) – America's grocer – today published the first
installment of Sharing What We've Learned: A Blueprint
for Businesses to provide actionable recommendations for
retailers, restaurants and food service companies, manufacturers,
logistics and distribution centers and other industries to consider
as they start crafting plans for safe work environments while the
COVID-19 risk persists.
"With nearly 2,800 grocery stores, 35 manufacturing plants, 44
distribution centers and 460,000 associates across the country,
Kroger has learned and continues to learn a lot while keeping our
stores and supply chain open and serving America during the
pandemic," said Rodney McMullen,
Kroger's chairman and CEO. "As an essential business, we have led
with our Purpose: to Feed the Human Spirit and have taken extensive
measures across our footprint to safeguard our associates,
customers and supply chain. We are sharing what we've learned to
help businesses begin to reopen safely and in sync with their
respective state plans."
Kroger's Blueprint includes actionable recommendations
and learnings that the company has applied in the last six weeks to
safeguard its associates, customers, and communities, as well as
what it has learned through regular interaction with business
leaders in other countries, including Italy, Singapore and China – all of which were ahead of the U.S. in
terms of the pandemic cycling through their countries.
Many recommendations can be adapted for any industry sector, and
the Blueprint provides a set of distinct, deliberate
processes for several key sectors, including: Retail,
Manufacturing, Distribution Centers/Supply Chain, Food
Service/Restaurants, and Office environments.
Late last week, several U.S. Governors and business
organizations asked Kroger to help their state's businesses to
reopen safely. Kroger developed this new platform –
KrogerBlueprint.com – in 36 hours to begin providing immediate
assistance to states and businesses with plans to update with new
learnings in real time.
"We decided from the onset of this crisis that transparency,
agility and responsiveness would be our guiding principles, and we
are now sharing what we've learned as an extension of our values,"
continued McMullen.
"It's critical for businesses to let their values guide their
actions and to develop protocols and procedures in advance of
reentering the marketplace to safely reopen, protecting customers
and employees and flattening the curve," said McMullen. "We
recognize that not all businesses are the same. What worked for us
may not work for some companies. And while there is no "one thing"
that makes all the difference, taking a comprehensive, thoughtful
approach to safety will lead to better outcomes."
Elements of Kroger's Blueprint are available now for the
retail sector on KrogerBlueprint.com, including a 17-page PDF and
downloadable creative assets including in-store signs and
audio files. Kroger will continue to update the Blueprint in
the coming days and weeks, providing additional recommendations,
insights, best practices, tools and templates for other industries
to leverage.
"We share our learnings with the same spirit that many business
leaders from around the world have generously shared their
experiences with our company, which helped us anticipate the steps
we needed to take to provide a safe environment for our associates
and customers," said McMullen. "We know that we don't, and we
won't, have all the answers – no one business or organization will.
It will take all of us sharing openly the ingenuity that has always
been the heart of American free enterprise to get through this,
together, allowing America to come out stronger."
To access Sharing What We've Learned: A Blueprint for
Businesses resources and to sign up for updates, visit
KrogerBlueprint.com.
Media Assets
To download general Kroger b-roll and
photography assets, visit here.
About The Kroger Co.
At The Kroger Co.
(NYSE: KR), we are Fresh for Everyone™ and dedicated to our
Purpose: To Feed the Human Spirit®. We are, across our family
of companies, nearly half a million associates who serve over 11
million customers daily through a seamless shopping experience
under a variety of banner names. We are committed to creating
#ZeroHungerZeroWaste communities by 2025. To learn more about us,
visit our newsroom and investor relations site.
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SOURCE The Kroger Co.