FEATURE
Outstanding Independent Awards Burns’ Family Neighborhood Market (The Fresh Grocer/ ShopRite)
BriarPatch Food Co-op Grass Valley, Calif. Number of Stores: 1 BriarPatch Food Co-op is committed to helping shoppers feel safe, welcomed and cared for, despite the challenges of COVID-19. Adding to the stress of the pandemic, the co-op’s Sierra Foothills community simultaneously faced unprecedented California wildfires and power outages. During a daunting year, the marketing team made the strategic choice to use resources not only to keep operating, but also to remind shoppers that they were supporting — and could depend upon — their long-standing community hub during a difficult time. The result was BriarPatch’s highest-ever sales year on record. Early on, the store implemented safety protocols beyond the minimum state mask and capacity mandates, such as installing plexiglass register shields, starting curbside service, and offering Early Bird and Night Owl hours for vulnerable shoppers. BriarPatch wanted to go a step further, however, by helping shoppers understand the connection between their support of the store and its positive effect on their neighbors. By March, normal donation requests had slowed to a trickle, despite the fact that many nonprofits were struggling to meet an increased need compounded by
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lack of funding and volunteers in lockdown. In response, BriarPatch launched the Helping Our Heroes campaign to recognize those working on the front lines. The co-op regularly delivered small tokens of the community’s gratitude — lunch, flowers, baked goods and gift cards — to these heroes. BriarPatch also donated groceries to people in need, dollars enabling economic recovery for struggling small businesses, and a Thanksgiving meal for local firefighters, sharing these stories on social media and with local media. Subsequently, those who felt powerless and isolated shared how the stories helped them reconnect with one another. To further help local businesses, BriarPatch teamed with an area brewery on Unity in the Community IPA, sold exclusively at the co-op, and both businesses each donated $1 toward a local small-business relief fund, creating another opportunity for shoppers to participate in rebuilding the town through patronage, this time while enjoying a brew. At a time when touting promotions and sales felt inappropriate, BriarPatch opted to show its neighbors the value of its cooperative model and its deep roots in collaboration, keeping it local and sharing, all of which resonated with the community.
Drexel Hill, Pa. Number of Stores: 7 After months of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and dealing with violence in the community caused by civil unrest, The Fresh Grocer of Upper Darby was faced with yet another major challenge early last August, when it had to close temporarily in the wake of severe flooding caused by Hurricane Isaias. The severe weather brought more than 4 feet of floodwater inside the supermarket, ruining hundreds of thousands of dollars in inventory and destroying millions of dollars in equipment. The Fresh Grocer of Upper Darby first opened in 2016 and provides a state-of-the-art shopping experience with more than 40 varieties of home-style prepared hot entrées made fresh daily and signature madeto-order hoagies and sandwiches, along with such other offerings as an online shopping service with curbside pickup and contactless home delivery options available daily. Bringing their more than 40 years of experience in the supermarket business in the greater Philadelphia area to bear, Patrick J. Burns and the
Burns family, owners and operators of the 53,000-square-foot store, worked with tireless staffers to reopen in record time so that the Upper Darby community wasn’t without access to its major local supermarket for an extended period of time. “Our team has been working day and night to rebuild, repair and replenish,” said Burns during this phase. “If this year has proven anything, it is that we are resilient and can overcome our greatest challenges by working together. Regardless of the obstacle, we remain committed to providing our community with access to fresh and affordable foods in a safe, friendly and topnotch shopping environment. We can’t wait to open up our doors again.” The diligent efforts of Burns and his team enabled The Fresh Grocer of Upper Darby to reopen just a little more than a week after it had been devastated by the floodwaters.