Our Sustainable Future
Welcome to our Sustainable Future plan
As one of the oldest Supermarket retailers in Australia, commencing in 1870 with many years of proud history, the team at Ritchies want to continue to grow Ritchies for a sustainable future, by working with all our team members, our customers and communities, our supply and service partners to have a shared vision and goals.
We know collectively we need to work closely together and be ambitious in the goals we set to achieve a strong sustainable future. We have done so much work on some key areas over the last few years, but we know we have so much still to do – which we believe in and are committed to do so.
Our Ritchies Sustainable Future Plan will see us aspire to and achieve more positive change around important world and community issues, like reducing impact on the environment, food waste reduction, through to diversity/inclusion of people and supporting the communities around our stores, all to grow further in the future.
48 plus proud years at
We all want a future that is improving; IMPROVING for our communities and their growth, IMPROVING for people and their well-being; team, customers and supply partners, IMPROVING for the world/environment and IMPROVING for Ritchies and what we believe in.
Fred Harrison CEO/Director and shareholder of Ritchies.
Ritchies.
Ritchies Our History
Founded by Thomas Ritchie in 1870, Ritchies is one of Australia’s oldest Supermarket & Liquor store chains.
The goldfields lured 18-year-old Thomas Ritchie to Australia in 1852. He saw no future for himself on the Ilse of Man. He built up stock of sturdy boots to sell on the goldfields and boarded the ship, Isabella Watson, bound for Australia.
After 117 days at sea, the ship sailed safely through the heads into Port Phillip Bay in Victoria but moments later a squall picked up. The ship wheeled and struck the Corsair rocks. Lifeboats were launched and in the high seas nine passengers perished. Thomas was washed ashore. His supply of boots was lost, but not his ambition.
After doing various jobs and ventures, in 1870 Thomas established his first Ritchies General Store in Bay Street, Frankston, Victoria. In 1872 he applied and was granted a license to sell liquor, which he did so from 1873.
To this day, Ritchies continues to thrive and now has stores across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
Ritchies is the largest independent supermarket and liquor retailer in Australia.
Learn more about Ritchies through the years in our 150th celebratory digital magazine, and video located under the history section of our website: ritchies.com.au
Ritchies Our Vision
Our vision at Ritchies is
“To be the friendliest food and liquor retailer in the industry, serving and supporting our customers, team, stakeholders and embracing all our communities.”
We support, live and breathe our vision through our commitments, our values and our actions/behaviour that have become our foundations to delivering our vision today and into the future.
Our values: Integrity, Commit, Enjoy, Dare, Engage, Grow, Safety and Trust, help us to be the business and team that we are working towards and aspire to be for our customers, team, supply partners, stakeholders and all our communities.
At Ritchies, we are proud of being a supermarket business since 1870. We are proud of the service we provide to our customers, communities and team across Australia. We aspire to be even better as we grow, improve and deliver on our vision into our future.
INTEGRITY
DARE
TRUST
We
Ritchies Our Sustainable Future Plan
Since 1870, Ritchies has played an important role in; serving our customers and communities across many parts of Australia through our passionate 6,000+ team members. As the largest independently operated supermarket and liquor business in Australia, with a proud history, we want to continue growing Ritchies for a sustainable future.
Our Ritchies Sustainable Future plan is underpinned by 3 key pillars;
Our Community
Our People
Ritchies - The Friendliest Team
Our World Where the Community Benefits
Caring for our environment today and tomorrow
Ritchies Our Governance
Our board of directors oversee and approve the strategic direction of Ritchies and the effectiveness of our Environmental, Social and Governance policies/plans.
Our Audit & Risk Committee assists our board members and directors in fulfilling their responsibilities.
Our Senior Leadership Team, National Operations Group (NATOG), are also responsible and accountable for developing, driving and measuring our Sustainable Future plan, which is chaired by our CEO/Director, Fred Harrison.
Our senior leadership team consists of CEO, 3 Executive Directors, CFO, National Merchandise General Manager, National Liquor General Manager, National Operations General Manager, State Managers, National Payroll Manager and People and Development Manager. The leadership team meets regularly and also dedicates 1 day a month to discuss/review current performance, adjustments to strategies and future direction/strategies of Ritchies. This team of leaders are responsible for overseeing Ritchies identification and response to sustainable risks, opportunities and actions.
Our Ritchies Sustainable Future Plan is also supported by our Environmental, Social and Ethical polices/procedures. Our progress against our Sustainable Future Plan is reported to our shareholders annually through our Ritchies board report/annual general meeting.
Director, major shareholder and Property Manager Mal Cameron. Over 46 plus years of service at Ritchies.
OUR WORLD
At Ritchies we are committed to addressing impacts of climate change, reducing greenhouse emissions and reducing our carbon footprint/ impact on the environment.
We have explored new technologies and looked at best practice opportunities across many areas. We are committed to building all our new stores in the future to the highest standards of ‘Green Friendly’.
We have initiatives, commitments, targets and programs in place to reduce our impact on the environment. These are covered in 5 key areas:
1. Sustainable Sourcing
2. Reducing Carbon Footprint
3. Building Greener Stores
4. Reducing Food Waste
5. Better Recycling
Sustainable Sourcing 01
At Ritchies, we are continually exploring world-wide best practices and working closely with our farmers, supply partners and service providers to have a positive impact on the environment and provide our customers with more environmentally responsible shopping choices.
Sustainable Packaging
Over the past few years, we have continued to review our current store use packaging across all areas of the supermarket and have transitioned across to more sustainable packing, wherever practical to do so.
More so than ever, it is up to all of us to ensure that we are recycling product correctly in the home environment. Most packaging now comes with instructions as to the suitability of recyclability and what we as consumers need to do at home to ensure all recyclable product ends up in the right bin. One of our current projects is to produce signage and QR codes to display in store, to help guide consumers on how they can recycle the packaging we provide in-store.
Part of our sustainable packaging family.
Sustainable Checkout Bags
Whilst single use plastic checkout bags are a thing of the past, thicker plastic bags, deemed as reusable were still available for purchase in-store.
These bags were made with 80% recycled plastic and were recyclable, but have now been removed from sale altogether and have been replaced with paper bags and compostable bags.
These paper and compostable bags, along with a range of Hessian and other re-usable bags are available for purchase in all Ritchies stores. Fully home compostable checkout bags have also been rolled out to all stores.
Compostable bags could be considered single use for shopping, however they can also be used for food scraps and other organic matter and placed in your green waste bin for council pick up where permitted. The compostable bag can also be used in lieu of a kitchen tidy bag and in the process removing further plastic from the environment.
Ritchies has compostable and paper shopping bags available for purchase in all our stores.
Sustainable In-Store Packaging
Compostable produce bags
All of our stores now have fully home compostable produce bags. As per the compostable checkout bags, these compostable bags are suitable for home composting, or inclusion in green council bins. This conversion across to compostable bags, will remove over 20 million single use plastic bags from the environment.
Recycled content / recyclable meat trays
All Ritchies stores provide 100% compostable produce bags for customer use
All Ritchies instore packed clear meat trays are made from 60% recycled plastic and are fully recyclable. We are also working with our packaging suppliers to trial a more environmentally friendly plastic film, used in the wrapping of all meat trays. Further discussions are taking place with all meat suppliers to ensure they are also migrating to recycled plastic content in their trays.
Recycled content / recyclable sushi packaging
All sushi trays packed in-store have now moved to cardboard base trays, and a clear plastic lid that is made from 50% recycled plastic, and are also recyclable. Black plastic trays previously used for Sushi are not suitable for recycling, hence the move to alternate products.
Sustainable In-Store Packaging
Recyclable Deli Packaging
We are currently reviewing all packaging used in the Deli, with many lines already converted from single use plastic containers, across to alternative cardboard packaging. A great example of this is our Grazing Boxes, previously assembled on a black plastic tray, these are now packed in a cardboard box.
As new alternatives become available, they will also be considered.
Alternate Bakery Packaging
Similar to Deli where possible plastic is being removed and replaced with paper bags, cardboard trays and containers. As technology improves and new packaging becomes available, we will continue to adopt alternate packaging.
All Ritchies’ in-house baked product is supplied in recyclable packaging.
Paper Bread Clips
Similarly to the major bread suppliers, all our bag tags for instore produced breads have now moved across to cardboard, away from single use plastic.
You can easily recycle your cardboard tags in kerbside recycling bins, by tucking the tag securely inside other paper or cardboard products, such as an envelope or paper bag, giving them the best chance of being recycled into a new product rather than sent to landfill.
Plastic Shopping Trolleys (Made from recycled Milk bottles)
As our trolley fleets and baskets require replacement, we are converting plastic shopping trolleys and baskets, made from 100% recycled milk bottles.
These trolleys have been part of the Ritchies Fine Food and Wine Merchant store roll outs in recent times and feedback from shoppers is that they are much lighter and easier to push around the store, as well as being “kinder” to the store joinery than their steel counterparts. This positive feedback has encouraged us to continue to roll these trolleys out Nationally.
Please see below information from our supplier of these trolleys (Supercart ) and the benefit versus traditional all metal trolleys:
Reducing our Footprint
Part of our journey in adapting our product to the Australian market has resulted in a significant reduction in our material footprint. In an effort to reduce plastic pollution and address the recycling challenges facing Australia, we’re using Australian recycled plastic to manufacture our trolleys.
It’s a great outcome for everyone, with the equivalent of 74x2L milk bottles for the Mini and 152x2L milk bottles for the Mid worth of recycled plastic being used. More importantly, we’re not simply recycling plastic, we’re upcycling.
Recycling vs. Upcycling
When a product is recycled, it is used again in the same or equivalent product. A milk bottle becomes another milk bottle. When a product is upcycled, it is used in a product of higher value such as in our case where a milk bottle becomes a shopping trolley. A milk bottle is designed to be used once before it is recycled, but our trolleys are used for many years before parts might need replacing and in that time they’ll cart a lot more milk than a bottle can!
Environmentally Friendly Ranges For Customers
Ritchies are constantly looking for environmentally friendly alternatives to offer our shoppers.
Many stores now have a dedicated section to showcase these lines together for shoppers who prefer to purchase these more sustainable products.
The range is mainly non food lines such as cling wraps, foils, scrubs, bamboo plates, bowls and cutlery, reusable cups, straws, kitchen utensils, cleaning and health and beauty products.
We also offer a good selection of organic products across our produce, dairy, freezer and grocery range.
Organic Produce Serve Over Case
This is a recent addition to some of our Fine Food and Wine stores. The inclusion of a serve over case allows the team member to weigh and price organic produce and pack into a paper bag, removing the use of plastic trays and film.
Serve over cases enables the store to move away from the current plastic packaging to differentiate it from the regular range of produce.
This has been a concern from many organic shoppers wanting to avoid plastic packaging. By moving in this direction, we are now able to use paper and compostable bags to pack the customers selection.
Over time, we anticipate opening more organic serve over cases in our stores.
Example of our organic produce serve over counter at our Taren Point store.
Animal Welfare
Ritchies is committed to using suppliers who have animal welfare standards that meet the high expectations of Ritchies and our customers.
Partnering closely with our suppliers and producers, Ritchies are committed to ensuring the welfare of animals in our supply chain by the adoption of the 5 freedoms below.
01 02 03 04 05
Freedom from Hunger and Thirst
by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour.
by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.
by prevention through rapid diagnosis and treatment.
by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind.
by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.
Animal Welfare
Ritchies recognizes that animals are sentient beings with the capacity to experience a range of emotions and sensations. As advocates for their health and well-being, we are deeply committed to ensuring that animals in our supply chains live fulfilling lives. This commitment drives us to collaborate closely with our suppliers, embracing the five domains of animal welfare as a comprehensive framework to enhance the lives of these animals.
The five domains encompass nutrition, environment, health, behavior, and mental state, which together provide a holistic approach to animal welfare. By focusing on these areas, the aim is to create conditions that allow animals to thrive and experience positive states of being. The priority is for animals to feel pleasure, excitement, and relaxation, recognizing that these emotions are integral to their overall well-being.
The Five Animal Welfare Domains
DOMAINS
Good nutrition: provide ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full and vigour
Good environment: Provide shade/shelter or suitable housing, good air quality and comfortable resting areas
Good health: Prevent or rapidly diagnose and treat disease and injury, and foster good muscle tone, posture and cardiorespiratory function
Appropriate behaviour: Provide sufficient space, proper facilities, congenial company and appropriately varies conditions
Positive mental experiences: Provide safe, congenial and species-appropriate opportunities to have pleasurable experiences
The approach includes the implementation of species-specific enrichment strategies, tailored to the unique needs and natural behaviors of different animals. These strategies are designed to encourage natural behaviors that are essential for their psychological and physical health. For example, providing appropriate environmental enrichment allows animals to explore, play, and engage in activities that they would naturally partake in, thereby promoting their happiness and reducing stress.
At Ritchies, we believe that by fostering an environment where animals can express their natural behaviors and experience positive emotions, we contribute to their well-being in a meaningful and impactful way. Our dedication to animal welfare is an ongoing journey, and we continuously strive to improve our practices and set higher standards within our industry.
ANIMAL WELFARE AIMS
Minimise thirst and hunger and enable eating to be a pleasurable experience
Minimise discomfort and exposure and promote thermal, physical and other comforts
Minimise breathlessness, nausea pain and other aversive experiences and promote the pleasures of robustness, vigour, strength and well-coordinated physical activity
Minimise threats and unpleasant restrictions on behaviour and promote engagement in rewarding activities
Promote various forms of comfort, pleasure, interest, confidence and a sense of control
Cage Free Eggs Sow-Stall Free Pork
Along with the major supermarkets, Ritchies have committed to remove all Ritchies branded cage eggs from our shelves by 2025. It is pleasing to see that this transition has already been adopted by a large number of our shoppers. Sales of cage eggs is at its lowest ever and continuing to decline in preference for free-range and barn laid eggs. Our existing range of Ritchies branded eggs are all cage free.
Ritchies Own Brand fresh pork from our meat department is sow-stall free, Australian sourced and undergoes rigorous auditing by independent third-party auditors against the Australian Pork Industry Quality Assurance Programme.
Sustainably Caught Seafood
Today PFD are proud to be Ritchies’ primary seafood supplier and one of Australia’s leading food service distribution and seafood processing companies. As a leader, PFD are very committed to ensuring the longevity of seafood supply and that their customers and consumers, can enjoy seafood for generations to come. The majority of our fresh seafood sold in our Ritchies Deli departments is sustainably caught.
PFD source and supply Australian seafood regulated by the Commonwealth Government, Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) and State and Territory Fisheries Departments.
Similarly, seafood sourced from New Zealand is overseen by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) with the help of Compliance Fisheries Officer to ensure New Zealand fisheries are utilised in a sustainable manner:
• Quota Management System (QMS)
• Quota Management Areas (QMA)
• Fisheries Management Areas (FMA)
PFD are committed to ensuring a sustainable supply of seafood for future generations by supporting AFMA and MPI in encouraging:
Responsible fishing practice
Responsible fisheries management based on
• Catch limits, quotas, species and size
• Elimination of illegal fishing activities
PFD are proud to work with and promote some of Australia’s best aquaculture seafood, with the highest standards in sustainable practices in:
• Farming
• Harvest
• Environmental, ecological, health and safety management
PFD adhere to the Greenpeace Red List.
PFD are already working with our suppliers of frozen seafood by supporting and encouraging along the supply chain to source sustainable seafood through:
Responsible farming, practice and fisheries management
Sustainable harvest
Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard
Environmentally Responsible Cleaning
Are you looking for a sustainable
Are you looking for a sustainable future?
Ritchies are mindful of the damage that many cleaning chemicals can have on our waterways, and are adopting alternate cleaning products for use instore that are
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Our Products Jasol is well-known for offering a comprehensive range of high-quality environmentally responsible cleaning and sanitising products.
Our new concentrate range are designed to reduce transport, packaging and water usage readily biodegradable; high performance, yet cost effective; certified by GECA (Good Environmental Choice Australia), the premier mark of environmental performance for products and services in Australia.
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comprehensive range is the environmentally responsible choice for your
solution for your
Our new concentrate range are designed to reduce transport, certified by GECA (Good Environmental Choice Australia), the products that are the
product range is innovative but simple, meaning it is easy
Modern Slavery Policy
Modern slavery describes situations where methods of coercion, threat or deception are used to exploit, undermine or deprive workers of their freedoms. Ritchies opposes any form of slavery and is committed to minimising the risk of modern slavery occurring in the context of business operations and supply chain.
Ritchies expects that organisations engaged or seeking to engage with us, will familiarise themselves with the contents of this Policy and take verifiable action to ensure compliance. Ritchies will engage or continue to engage with organisations that are taking verifiable steps towards compliance with this Policy and the Modern Slavery Act 2018 (Cth) (the Act).
By identifying, assessing and responding to modern slavery risks and practices identified in our business operations and supply chains, we hope to assist in the prevention of modern slavery practices.
The Act defines modern slavery as including eight types of serious exploitation:
• Trafficking in persons;
• Slavery;
• Servitude;
• Forced marriage;
• Forced labour;
• Debt bondage;
• Deceptive recruiting for labour or services;
• Child labour (in particular that which subjects children to slavery or hazardous work).
Reducing Our Carbon Footprint 02
Ritchies takes its responsibility to reduce its carbon footprint seriously and to date have implemented a significant number of changes across our stores to this effect. Many of these reductions have occurred with the minimisation of power through replacement of older technology lighting, refrigeration and installation of solar panels across many stores. Further initiatives are constantly being reviewed and new technologies tested and trialled to lessen our reliance on carbon based fuels and ozone depleting refrigeration gases.
National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Scheme (NGER)
The National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting (NGER) Scheme is a single government national framework for reporting company information about:
- Greenhouse gas emissions
- Energy production
- Energy consumption
Ritchies is signed up to the NGER scheme and its requirements.
Each year we report to NGER on our emissions, energy production and our energy consumption. To date, Ritchies have successfully completed our reporting with improved performance each year.
The NGER data informs future national government policy and program development, as well as how Australia reports internationally.
Doors on Refrigerated Cases
Ritchies has been retrofitting transparent doors onto many of our existing Meat and Dairy cases, as well as an extensive roll out of new energy efficient refrigerated cases, with doors into our new and refurbished stores.
The benefits of the Doors on cases being;
Save on energy use: An open display case uses more energy to keep food refrigerated, so adding doors to an open case will significantly reduce power usage in stores.
Food stays fresh longer: Adding doors to an open display case helps keep the temperature at a constant, optimal level, meaning that food products last longer, and waste due to spoilage is reduced.
Lower maintenance: Since the addition of doors reduces the amount of time that condensers and fan motors need to run, those components will last longer and require less frequent maintenance.
Stores where the doors have been installed run at a much more even temperature all year round, competing less with the Air conditioning, and total store carbon emission reductions have been in the vicinity of 20%.
20% POWER SAVING
Electronically Commutated (EC) Fans On Refrigerated Cases
As part of the Refrigeration door retrofit EC fans were also installed into all refrigerated cabinets. As these fans run 100% of the day, cost savings are very easily measured when comparing old technology to new. Energy usage from the new fans has been approximately 30% less than the fans they have replaced.
Benefits of EC fans over traditional fan and motor technology:
Reduced energy consumption.
Integrated variable speed control capabilities to allow fan performance to accurately match varying air flow requirements without energy wasteful damping.
EC motors maintain a high efficiency level at part speeds.
Lower motor noise, particularly under speed control.
Remote monitoring enabled via digital and analogue communication ports.
Run cooler than AC induction motors, reducing heat put into air flow and leads to longer component life.
Electronically communicated (EC) fan in cool room
Variable Speed Drives On Compressors
As part of our ongoing energy reductions, where possible variable speed drives on refrigeration compressors and variable speed fans on condensers have been adopted. At every opportunity through store refurbs and new builds these two key components of a refrigeration system are being changed over to the variable speed options.
Variable vs. Fixed Speed
A traditional on-off compressor operates at a constant speed, continuously switching on and off to meet equipment’s energy demand. This operational pattern requires abrupt power loads when starting and can lead to wasted energy after the target temperature is reached but the motor has not yet turned off.
With variable speed systems, they are able to recover from door openings much faster, reducing the time the system spends removing the heat infiltration. During stabilized conditions, the compressor can operate at a lower, more efficient speed to match the equipment’s energy demand, helping you reduce energy consumption.
Soft vs. Hard Start
A “Soft Start,” means the compressor starts at a lower speed, ramps up to full speed within a few minutes and continually adjusts electrical current to provide needed power depending on the system’s conditions.
This slower ramp up time compared to the “hard start” of on-off compressors dramatically reduces the starting current of the motor. This decreases stress on the motor, helping to extend the machine’s lifespan. This also has noise benefits with the reduction of hard start ups, noise to operate is significantly reduced.
Variable Speed Fans On Condensers And HVAC
Variable speed fans used on the refrigeration and HVAC systems also have significant energy saving benefits and are being used widely in our new and refurbished stores.
Traditional air handlers produce large blasts of cold air, and then none at all once it reaches standby mode. Variable speed fans used on HVAC systems, progressively raise and reduce their speed, which means the cooling will be more consistent, and there will be fewer large fluctuations in temperature.
Variable speed fans operating at lower speeds with less frequent switching on refrigeration condensers, usually located in open air on the roof of the supermarket, are much quieter, which is a further benefit when used in locations that are close to residential housing on top of the energy saving benefit.
Variable speed fans on condensors and HVAC system on a store roof.
Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions
(CO2 Refrigeration Systems)
As we have been building new and refurbishing existing stores, where replacement of refrigeration plants has been required, these have been replaced with full CO2 systems. These systems whilst more expensive to install, are far more economical to operate, and are far more environment friendly should a significant loss of gas occur.
Whilst only in early stages of conversion, Ritchies has taken a leadership position in respect of CO2 installations, assisting other independent retailers with advise and sharing of findings where requested.
Where practical we have also been incorporating HVAC (air conditioning) systems into the refrigeration system management. This leads to further benefits, with both systems working in tandem, rather than against each other when independent from each other. In older store set ups where the HVAC system was independently controlled, the systems worked against each other, with the HVAC system attempting to provide heat, and the Refrigeration system cooling. Installation of doors on cases has helped reduce cold air spillage into the stores reducing the amount of load on the HVAC system to heat. The Net result being a much more efficient system that not only reduces significant energy use but also providing longer shelf life on perishable product.
“ Many decades ago, the sun shone on earth, heating it perfectly. The ozone layer protected us from harmful rays and heat left the atmosphere during the night.”
- Jarrod Swaine Ritchies National Merchandise General Manager
Our contemporary societies damaged this balance, due to the drastic impact on global warming caused by the depletion of the ozone layer and greenhouse gas emissions. 15% of this imbalance is caused by refrigeration gases lost to the atmosphere.
Why using CO2 Gas Systems is better
1. CO2 is a natural, safe and inexpensive refrigerant (12 times more economical than traditional HFC).
2. Its effect on the climate is 1,500 to 4,000 times less than that of synthetic refrigerants
3. The heat transfer characteristics of CO2 are more attractive than synthetic refrigerants. This increases energy efficiency in systems.
4. CO2 must operate at high-pressure, which can increase system efficiency, reduce the size of components and piping and enable the design of more compact systems.
Renewable Energy (Green Energy)
We aim to continue using more renewable energy in the future to reduce the use fossil fuel produced energy.
Currently around 20% of our electricity used is renewable energy and we will continue to explore various renewable energy opportunities into the future.
Why we want to improve our renewable energy usage?
1. Environmental Protection
Reduction in Greenhouse Gas Emissions
Renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and hydro produce little to no greenhouse gases during operation, which helps mitigate climate change.
Lower Air and Water Pollution
Unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy production does not release harmful pollutants, leading to cleaner air and water.
2. Sustainability
Inexhaustible Resources
Renewable energy sources are naturally replenished and virtually inexhaustible, unlike finite fossil fuel reserves.
Long-term Energy Security
By diversifying energy sources and reducing dependency on imported fuels, renewable energy enhances national security and energy independence.
3. Economic Benefits
Job Creation
The renewable energy sector creates numerous jobs in manufacturing, installation, and maintenance.
Local Economic Growth
Investments in renewable energy infrastructure can stimulate local economies and create new business opportunities.
4.
Health Benefits
Reduced Health Risks
Lower pollution levels result in fewer health problems such as respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, reducing healthcare costs and improving quality of life.
Improved Public Health
Cleaner environments contribute to overall better health outcomes for communities.
5. Technological Advancement and Innovation
Driving Innovation
The renewable energy sector fosters technological advancements and innovation, leading to more efficient and cost-effective energy solutions.
Energy Storage and Grid Resilience
Developments in energy storage and smart grid technologies enhance the reliability and resilience of energy systems.
LED Lights
Most of our Ritchies Stores have converted old fluorescent lighting across to LED tubes and in the process reduced total store energy consumption by up to 13%.
New and refurbished stores, when installing brand new LED fittings, have achieved even greater reductions through improvements in LED technology. Similarly old down lights, floodlights etc have also been replaced with suitable LED alternatives.
Solar Panels
An increasing number of our Ritchies stores are receiving a benefit from the installation of solar panels on the roofs of our stores or as carpark shade structures.
Where possible we have been working with our landlords to install between 100KW and 250kw systems These systems have been able to substitute fossil fuel generated energy with clean solar energy amounting to 12% to 20% of total store power. Whilst we would love to increase the size of these systems and save even more, space is an issue and systems of the size mentioned above are the maximum amount of panels able to fit onto our stores. In some cases we have also been able to add solar panels in lieu of shade sails into our car parks, providing even further energy reductions, but this does involve other parties and not always possible to install.
In a supermarket environment battery installation as part of the solar install are not generally of benefit as 100% of the energy generated is consumed during daylight hours but we are exploring improving technology of batteries for the future.
Solar panels on carpark shade structure at our Tatura store.
Solar panels at our Numurkah store.
Building Greener Stores 03
With constant refinements in building codes in regards to sustainability, environment and other regulatory improvements, it is important that our future stores are designed with these important elements in mind. Key considerations around heating and cooling, energy efficient lighting, waste removal and recycling, sustainable building materials are important to us and where ever possible are incorporated into not only new stores but refurbished stores as well.
Insulation under slab and inside the supermarket, double glazed windows, LED lights and integrated HVAC into the refrigeration system are just a few of the major items that help ensure our new stores carbon footprint is kept as low as possible. Looking further ahead, chrome shelving will be a thing of the past due to its impact on the environment, and joinery elements of the store are now being considered that are more sustainable than what has been used previously.
Sustainable Store Design
Exploring strategies that can enhance the sustainability of retail properties, drawing inspiration from the latest trends and practices is very important to Ritchies and has been embraced by our architects, The Retail Group (TRG). The following page details key considerations at the design process of any refurbishment or new store.
Our new environmentally friendly Towerhill store. Built 2023.
Sustainable Store Design
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy:
Solar Panels: Consider integrating solar panels on the rooftops, solar energy can help power lighting, HVAC systems, and other electrical needs, reducing reliance on non-renewable energy sources.
LED Lighting: Opt for energy-efficient LED lighting throughout the store. LEDs consume less electricity and have a longer lifespan compared to traditional fluorescent tubes and incandescent bulbs.
Smart Building Systems: Implement smart systems that automatically adjust lighting, heating, and cooling based on occupancy and daylight availability. These systems optimize energy usage.
Combined Refrigeration / Mechanical plant: utilise the rejected waste heat from the refrigeration plant to heat the store, utilise one automated control for all store conditions so refrigeration and air conditioning works together and not against.
Materials and Construction:
Sustainable Materials: Choose eco-friendly materials for construction and interior design. For example:
Recycled Content: Use materials with recycled content, such as reclaimed wood or recycled steel.
Low-VOC Paints: Volatile organic compound (VOC)-free paints contribute to better indoor air quality.
Natural Stone and Bamboo: These materials are durable and have a lower environmental impact.
Efficient Insulation: Proper insulation reduces energy consumption for heating and cooling, go above the minimum required standard to get long term savings.
Water Conservation:
Low-Flow Fixtures: Install low-flow faucets, toilets, and urinals to minimize water usage.
Rainwater Harvesting: Collect rainwater for landscape irrigation or other non-potable uses.
Landscaping and Green Spaces:
Native Plants: Landscaping with native plants requires less water and maintenance.
Living Walls: Consider living walls to improve insulation, absorb rainwater, and provide habitat for wildlife.
Waste Management and Recycling:
Recycling Stations: Set up clearly marked recycling bins for customers and staff.
Food Waste Composting: If applicable, establish a composting program for food waste.
Transportation and Accessibility:
Public Transit Access: Choose store locations accessible by public transportation to reduce car emissions.
Bike Racks: Install bike racks to encourage cycling.
EV Parking Bays: provide EV charging stations for customers to use while shopping.
Reducing Food Waste 04
At Ritchies, we will continue to look for opportunities to reduce food waste, which is socially and environmentally important. By implementing more initiatives to help divert usable food (such as to help the less fortunate), we aim to also reduce unnecessary landfill.
Ritchies IGA Food Rescue Program
in partnership with Food For Change
Redirecting surplus food to support people who need it most.
The IGA Food Rescue Program enables the network of independent retailers to donate edible surplus food, to those who need it most within their communities. Together with the not-forprofit organisation ‘Food for Change’, IGA stores across the country are taking this action and donating available food from their stores that would otherwise go to waste.
Food For Change connects stores directly with local food relief agencies so that any unavoidable food waste will be donated to people in their local community.
At Ritchies, we have over 25 stores participating in the IGA Food Rescue Program, and plan on extending this into more stores.
As of 18 May 2024, Ritchies have donated to local partners.
179,008 meals
Better Recycling 05
As we rapidly move into a world focused on a circular economy, it is important that all businesses are focused on ways to improve firstly, the products they are using for packaging, ensuring that they are made from recycled product and or recyclable. Further to this it is equally important that waste generated within the business is managed smarter and wherever possible opportunities are identified to find alternative uses for this waste. Whether it be food scraps, out of date product, product packaging, or other items that would otherwise be considered general waste. Ritchies are continually reviewing what options are available and partnering with businesses capable of recycling, or repurposing waste materials from our stores.
Store Recycling
Green Waste Bins
Wherever possible we run a separate green waste bin, that is picked up and sent off to be composted.
Stores that do not have this capability often partner with a local farm to provide them with their produce scraps to use as animal feed. Other options for re-purposing this green waste are always being considered.
Composters
A number of in house operated green waste units are available in the market now and are in trial in a few of our stores.
These units convert organic waste including produce, meats, bones etc into either a compost that can be bagged up and sold, provided free to shoppers or used by local farmers. Or a different system called ORCA converts the same organic waste into a liquid that is disposed of through the normal plumbing system
The conversion is extremely fast in both cases, taking 24 hours to fully convert what other wise may take months. By utilising these type of systems significant reductions can take place in general waste pick ups, carbon emissions to transport the otherwise bulky waste and greenhouse gases produced through the rotting of food in landfill.
Still in trial phase in selected stores, over time we will explore rolling out more of these across our stores.
Recycle and Donation Stations
In our more recent new and refurbished stores we have been providing bins at the front of the store for shoppers to use for donations to animal shelters, coffee cup & lid recycling and food donations. These units are being well used by the shoppers in these stores. In our new and refurbished stores, these recycle stations will become a standard addition.
Store Recycling
Foam Box Recycling
Polystyrene foam can last in the environment for up to 500 years or longer.
It is however 100% recyclable into other products so it is important to us that it is never thrown in the general waste bin. Used widely by produce growers, all Polystyrene collected in some of our stores from the produce department is returned to the market where it is sent off for recycling, often being converted into Polystyrene blocks to use for building energy efficient houses and swimming pools. We should all collectively avoid dumping foam into general land fill when ever possible.
Waxed Box Recycling
Produce stored for extended periods, such as apples, are delivered to store in waxed boxes.
In many stores these boxes are folded down and stored similar to the above image in many stores for periodical collection by a company called High Heat. They then convert the empty boxes into an efficient fire lighter and great alternative to fuel based firelighters.
Cardboard Recycling
The majority of our stores compress all of their cardboard waste into Bales for collection by cardboard recyclers.
This cardboard is collected on a weekly basis and reused in the manufacture of new cardboard and other products. In the last 12 months in excess of 4200 tonnes of cardboard waste is collected and recycled from our stores.
OUR PEOPLE
Diversity And Inclusion
Team Well-Being
Team Careers And Development
OUR PEOPLE
To deliver our vision at Ritchies. “To be the friendliest food and liquor retailer in the industry, serving and supporting our customers, team, stakeholders and embracing all our communities”, we need an inspired, engaged team that strives for this – The Friendliest team
We know to really bring to life a supermarket that supports each other, our customers and the community, it starts with a great team. We have 6,000+ team members at Ritchies across more than 76 supermarket and 70 liquor stores. Our role in the community is also as a major employer, creating career opportunities across a range of roles and sites. Ritchies is an equal opportunity employer and we have a diverse culture and age group of team members we employ.
We know that in order to build a better and stronger tomorrow we need to invest in and nurture our teams well being, development and growth so every individual has an equal opportunity to grow and succeed. People are happier and more fulfilled at work if they can be themselves. We want our team to feel safe and welcome at Ritchies whatever their age, gender, ethnicity, faith, physical ability or sexual orientation.
All our team members believe and live our Friendliest team mantra. We back up our mantra with our Friendliest team values and beliefs; from our CEO through to our casual team members. It is important we collectively believe and live these values, when dealing with each other, our customers, our communities, our suppliers and other stakeholders we engage with.
Diversity & Inclusion 01
Ritchies is committed to providing a safe, flexible, and respectful environment for team members and visitors, free from all forms of discrimination, harassment, racial and religious vilification. All Ritchies team members are required to treat others with dignity, courtesy, and respect. By effectively implementing our Workplace Equal Opportunity Policy, we promote and also recruit suitable team members based on merit and qualifications, to create a positive environment for all. Our policy is designed to ensure that Ritchies complies with all of its obligations under the relevant legislation. All team members are given equal access to training, promotion, appointment or any other employment related opportunities, without regard to any factor not related to their competency and ability to perform their duties.
Equality at Ritchies
Ritchies is an equal opportunity employer and will provide equality in employment for all people employed or seeking employment.
Every person will be given a fair and equal chance to compete for appointment, promotion, or transfer, and to pursue their career as effectively as others. Employment decisions relating to appointment, promotion and career development will be determined according to individual merit and competence. Consistent with this, Ritchies does not condone any form of unlawful discrimination or vilification, including that which relates to:
• Gender Identity
• Sexual Orientation
• Pregnancy
• Parental Status
• Marital/domestic status
• Disability
• Race, colour, nationality, social origin, descent, and ethnic, religious or national origin
• Political beliefs
• Age (provided they are 15 years or older to be eligible for employment in the supermarket industry and 18 years or older in liquor.)
In all cases no factor other than performance and competence are used as the basis for performance assessment, training and development opportunities and promotions.
Our ‘Equality at Ritchies’ policy applies to everyone:
• Board members and all team members, including: Managers and Supervisors; contractors, visitors.
• How team members at Ritchies provide services to customers and how each person interacts with other members of the public.
• All aspects of employment, recruitment and selection; conditions and benefits; training and promotion; task allocation; shifts; hours; leave arrangements; workload; equipment and transport.
• On-site, off-site or after hours work; work-related social functions; conferences – wherever and whenever team members may be together as a result of their Ritchies duties.
• Team member treatment of other team members, customers, suppliers and of other members of the public encountered during their Ritchies duties.
Gender Equality - Ritchies Team
Ritchies pride ourselves on being an equal opportunity employer in all areas of the business.
We strive to have workplace gender equality and allow equal reward, pay and recognition regardless of gender. We give women the same managerial options as men, as we believe it promotes a more diversified leadership.
We ensure that women are represented throughout all levels from entry level jobs through to leaderships roles including our National Operations Group (NATOG) leaders.
Annually Ritchies report to the Australian Government Workplace Gender Equality Agency. This allows us to benchmark the gender pay gap and measure where our Company falls within the National Levels.
The team at Ritchies also support each other to promote awareness of equality in the workplace for women. Each year the team get behind International Women’s Day to celebrate all the great women we have working at Ritchies.
Total Ritchies team members 2024
Ritchies
1 International Women’s day. Each year the entire team at Ritchies support and celebrate International women’s day.
2 Members of Ritchies leadership team; Haedee Kuys, People and Development Manager (right), and Erin Harper, Grocery Buyer (left).
The Ritchies Team
Ritchies support the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community.
“PRIDE IS FOR EVERYONE .”
Ritchies inclusive and equal opportunity policy treats everyone as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love.
We want our team to feel safe and welcome at Ritchies regardless of sexual orientation/identification.
We want to provide further LGBTQIA+ and inclusion training to all our team members so we create an environment and culture where everyone feels like they can be their authentic selves.
Indigenous Engagement
At Ritchies we want to provide more opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people.
We aim to increase career and leadership opportunities further for our current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander team representation.
We strive to develop stronger relationships with indigenous team members and provide further indigenous engagement and inclusion training to all our team members to increase our understanding/recognition of indigenous values, history, culture, knowledge, and rights.
We are developing an indigenous engagement plan for the future in conjunction with indigenous leaders.
People with Disabilities
Where possible and safe to do so, we work closely with government and charitable organisations to offer employment opportunities to people with varying range of disabilities.
We do this across some stores, where some team members are even supported in-store whilst they work by a care provider. At Ritchies we are proud to be able to offer these opportunities to people with disabilities where safe and possible to do so.
Team Wellbeing 02
To deliver on our vision to be the friendliest food and liquor retailer serving and supporting our customers, team, stakeholders and all our communities, we need a team who is inspired, engaged, committed, feels valued and has fun at work. We take our teams wellbeing seriously and have started many initiatives and we will be doing more to further grow our team and improve their wellbeing.
The Friendliest Team
In 2020 we embarked on our journey to improve well- being of our teams; in turn delivering a better shopping experience for our customers.
Our journey started with our Friendliest Team committee comprising of Senior leaders from across the business and predominantly store team members who we value and listen to their feedback, on how we truly become the Friendliest Team in the Supermarket and Liquor industry.
The first things the Friendliest team committee developed, was the values we chose to live and breathe by; we call this our Friendliest Team Compass.
Our values that we embrace with our behaviors towards each other, customers and all our stakeholders we engage with on a day-to-day basis are:
The Friendliest Team
The Friendliest Team committee have developed many great initiatives including Community/Fun days across all our stores, colouring competitions to create and inspire the children of our customers and also encourage our team to have fun in store with dress-ups for events. The Friendliest Team committee will continue assessing our progress in this area and driving the Ritchies leadership to encourage the right culture of being the Friendliest Team in the Supermarket and Liquor industry.
To measure ourselves against our Friendliest Team values, we have an independent company conduct monthly Mystery Shopper checks across all our stores. These checks measure key areas around our compass on how we are living The Friendliest team values for our customers and ourselves. They also allow us to see through our customers eyes and include things like; ‘Do we greet customer we a smile and hello?’, ‘Do we help customers when asked for assistance?’, ‘Are we proud and present – wearing our name badges etc?’. Stores are scored individually and every month we have many stores consistently achieving 100% score on being The Friendliest Team.
“I just want to do a massive shout out to the entire team at your Robinvale store. I have been here for work for the last couple of months and frequent the store regularly. All the team are super friendly, super helpful. super efficient... they are just a super team!”
- Ritchies customer
1-2 The Friendliest Team having fun dressing up during events like Halloween and St Patrick’s day.
3 The Friendliest Team yearly colouring competition.
Team Reward & Recognition
At Ritchies we understand that part of creating a great Friendliest team culture, where the team feel valued and enjoy being part of the team, we need ongoing formal and informal recognition.
At Ritchies we have a combination of formal and on-the-spot recognition, as well as our normal day to day recognition through normal communication channels within our team.
To recognise and reward the efforts and achievements of Team Members who exemplify Our Commitments and Our Values, we have a reward and recognition policy that provides a framework for all our Ritchies leadership team to:
Support the building of a performance-based and Friendliest Team culture.
Retain high performing Team Members.
Encourage greater teamwork, cooperation and pride in Ritchies.
Promote innovative thinking and initiative.
Motivate people to continue to make contributions.
Contribute to a more productive, fun and satisfying work environment.
The key principles of Reward and Recognition at Ritchies are that:
Reward and recognition should be continuous and ongoing, through frequent and timely verbal feedback to Team Members.
Recognition will be carried out in a fair, transparent, and accountable manner.
Forms of reward and recognition should be flexible, including both formal and informal mechanisms, or recognition of achievement.
Recognition should be timely and appropriate to the achievement.
Reward and recognition should be meaningful and valued by the recipient.
Types of Reward and Recognition at Ritchies
On the spot recognition provides an opportunity for individual contributions to be recognised at a Store/ Department level. Ritchies recognises that feedback is essential to effective team building and culture and that for recognition to be effective, it must be timely, frequent, and appropriate to the achievement and valued by the recipient.
Our ROAR and Friendliest Team Cards offer a more flexible and immediate recognition of achievements that support Our Values than our formal awards.
On the spot recognition for a team member who goes over and above their normal day to day duties.
ROAR Card (Ritchies Over and Above Recognition) and Friendliest Team Card
Managers and Operation Group Leaders are encouraged to recognise exceptional individual work on a frequent basis. A ROAR or Friendliest Team Cards will be awarded at the discretion of any Ritchies leader. If a Team Member receives three ROAR or three Friendliest team Cards in one calendar year, they receive further recognition in the form of a $30 Ritchies gift card. Recipients of ROAR and Friendliest Team Cards Rewards will have their achievement officially recorded on their personnel file and the Ritchies Portal for all team members to see this recognition.
On the spot recognition for any team member who demonstrates our Friendliest team values through great customer/community service.
Examples of on the spot recognition for individual team member through our ROAR and Friendliest Team cards.
ROAR Card
Friendliest Team Card
Types of Reward and Recognition at Ritchies
Ritchies CEO Commendation Award offers the opportunity for State Operational Leadership Groups to nominate individuals for formal recognition by the Ritchies CEO. Ritchies encourage all Store Leadership teams to nominate Team Members for this award.
There are two overriding considerations for nomination/awards:
Excellence in Service:
A sustained high level of service.
Successful completion of a task which achieves significant improvement in service.
Ritchies CEO Commendation Award
Modeling superior service.
Consistent positive feedback from customers in regard to excellence.
Contribution to the Business:
Achieving a significant improvement in the productivity or standard of work.
Assisting in achieving a major Ritchies objective.
Identifying and acting on a significant opportunity that had a positive impact on Ritchies outcomes.
A quiet achiever, working behind the scenes to achieve major goals.
Recipients of the award will receive a Commendation Award letter from our CEO. They will also have their achievement officially recorded on their personnel file and the Ritchies Portal, for all team members to see this recognition.
Types of Reward and Recognition at Ritchies
Service Awards –Recognising years of service
A strength of Ritchies and something we are really proud of and value, is the large number of team members with long service to Ritchies, spanning more than 10 years plus. Longevity of the team is a good indicator for us of the family/friendly culture we aspire to continue and improve; where people love being part of the Ritchies culture/ team and chose a long prosperous career at Ritchies.
Our Service Awards formally recognise individual Team Members for their long period of dedication to Ritchies. These are awarded after 10 years continuous service and at intervals of five years thereafter.
Recipients will receive a ROAR Reward, a certificate, and will have their achievement published on the Ritchies Portal for everyone to see their achievement. These awards are presented in person in front of their peers/broader team through a morning tea.
Recipients are encouraged to lodge a Name Badge Request form to update their badge and proudly display their years of service on their name badge.
Currently our longest serving team member at Ritchies is Fred Harrison who started as a causal employee at Ritchies in February 1975 working his way up to CEO.
1 Adam Smith our Dromana Store Manager being recognised for his 15 years service at Ritchies. Adam started his career at Ritchies when he was 15 years of age and has progressed his career to become Store Manager.
2 Morning tea held at store to celebrate and recognise Brett, Marlo and Jenny’s years of service to Ritchies (even during COVID).
Types of Reward and Recognition at Ritchies
Achieving 10 years plus service at Ritchies is a major milestone we celebrate, but 20 years plus service we see as a proud moment for individual team members at Ritchies.
Not only do we celebrate recognition of 20 plus years of continuous service, but we also invite the team member into Ritchies 20 year Club.
Entry to the Twenty-Year Club is a highly sought after membership at Ritchies. It is strictly limited to those Team Members that have dedicated twenty or more years exclusively to Ritchies, regardless of whether there have been broken periods of employment.
The Twenty-Year Club meet each February for a ‘get together’ (Ritchies anniversary of incorporation) to reminisce about years gone; have a bit of fun and to induct new members into the 20-year club.
Ritchies Twenty Year Club
1 In our Ritchies board room we proudly display the names and year Ritchies Team members achieve their 20 year service milestone. We have 5 other boards like this full of team member names with long Ritchies service.
2 Yearly Ritchies 20 Year Club celebration and induction of new 20 year club team members.
Types of Reward and Recognition at Ritchies Ritchies Yearly Awards
Each year in May, we run our annual awards night across each State, where we formally recognise leaders, individuals, and teams for outstanding performance over the year.
In each State the awards comprise of the following categories:
State Leadership awards
Service Supervisor of the year
Chicken/Sushi Manager of the year
Deli Manager of the year
Bakery Manager of the year
Meat Manager of the year
Produce Manager of the year
Cash/Scanning Controller of year
Dairy/Freezer Manager/Controller of the year
Liquor Assistant Store Manager of year
Supermarket Assistant Store Manager of year
Liquor Store Manager of the year
Supermarket Store Manager of the year
State Team Member awards
Most valuable Store team member of the year
Most valuable Support team member of the year
Ritchies Champion team member o f the year
(This is the most prestigious award for any team member in each state who exemplifies what it means to be Ritchies: values, behaviour, commitment to customers and the community)
National Team awards
The Mal Cameron Supermarket store of the year
The James Cameron Liquor store of the year
National Sales Challenge winner
1-2 Recognising Team awards nominations and winners.
3-4 Ritchies awards night. Recognising nominated team members and winners of each leadership and team member awards.
5 Ritchies awards night. Recognising Ritchies Champion award nominations and winners. This is our most prestigious award.
Types of Reward and Recognition at Ritchies Team and
leadership incentives
At Ritchies, we believe if Ritchies does well, so does the team. We have various bonus incentives available to our team based on their role.
Ritchies Team Discount Card
A benefit we make available for all our team members is our Ritchies Discount card.
At Ritchies every single team member receives a Ritchies team discount card for themselves and an additional discount card for one of their nominated family members. The discount cards give the team member, or their nominated family member, 5% off their shop (excluding tobacco and gift cards) or 10% off their shop if they spend over $100 in a single transaction at Ritchies.
Ritchies Company Profit Bonus Leadership Bonus Incentive
This bonus is available to every Full time and Part time team member at Ritchies regardless of their role. This bonus is paid as cash plus gift cards if the company achieves its profit target for the year. When achieved, the bonus is paid to all applicable team members in early December, so the team have it ready for Christmas to spend on themselves or their family.
For most store leadership and operational leadership roles, a bonus is available based on achieving set KPI budgets for the year. The scheme and KPIs vary according to leadership roles. These leadership bonuses if achieved are paid throughout the year (parts of scheme are based on monthly KPIs results, half yearly and end of year results).
Ritchies Team Discount Card
Team Wellbeing & Mental Health
We understand that to be ‘The Friendliest Team in the Supermarket and Liquor industry’, and a high performing, inspired and engaged team, the team’s well-being and positive mental health is vital. We have started focusing on this over the last few years, but understand we have so much more to do.
We have now developed a Ritchies Team well-being plan, that articulates what we will be aspiring to and developing to improve our teams well-being and mental health. These include awareness and support training, educational information accessible by all our teams, more access to mental health support services, store well-being champions and Ritchies well-being committee.
Our planned Ritchies well-being Committee will be developed and chaired by our People and Development Manager with various members of leadership and predominately store team members. The role of the committee will be to monitor our teams wellbeing and identify risks, look for opportunities to improve wellbeing across all our team members and drive a culture of care. The Ritchies well-being committee team will meet regularly and share learnings, identified risks, outcomes, actions with the senior leadership team and Board of Directors.
We will be developing robust awareness/training on team well-being and Mental Health for all Ritchies team members and also targeted training for Ritchies leaders and store well-being champions, to better identify and be able to deal with and support team members with areas like Mental Health.
At Ritchies we currently provide specialised Mental Health support services to team members on request where applicable. We are developing a broader range of support services and educational information/support services information which we will have readily available to all our team members on our Community portal.
Team Wellbeing & Mental Health
Another big part of team awareness around mental health is our RUOK month which we have been proudly supporting since 2020. We as a business and team get right behind this yearly event to raise mental health awareness, not just with ourselves, but all our customers and the community. Our awareness drive each year, starting mid - August, sees the team wearing yellow, raising funds for the RUOK foundation and having fun.
As a company, during our RUOK event we send every team member an individual RUOK e-card with thanks, asking RUOK?, and links to mental health support services. We also send a yellow flower arrangement to each store to display on RUOK day.
Many of our team members also go over and above championing mental health awareness from their own personal/family experience living with mental illness.
1-2 Our team has fun raising mental health awareness during RUOK? awareness month (mid August-mid September)
3 Matt Hocking our QLD Meat/Produce Supervisor each year rides his bike from Ritchies store to store over 7 days raising funds for mental health awareness and support. In 2023 Matt rode 1,000kms over 7 days visiting our stores across Northern NSW.
Team Help Lines (Whistle blower and team concern/help lines)
Ritchies is committed to dealing with any team member grievance/ concern as promptly and confidentially as possible, professionally and with sensitivity.
A person who raises a grievance/concern will not be subject to any disadvantage in their relationship with Ritchies, by reason of doing so. When responding to a grievance, Ritchies will ensure the aggrieved person is not subject to discrimination, victimisation, or harassment by reason of raising the grievance.
We have a National Concerns Hotline for any team members to call for help/advise. This hotline is also available to team members who may choose to remain anonymous.
To also encourage our team to disclose serious or systematic wrongdoing at Ritchies, we provide a convenient and safe reporting mechanism, protection for those making the disclosure and fair treatment for those named in the disclosure through our Whistle Blower Hotline. Team members can either call or email their concerns and be anonymous if they chose to do so.
We take Whistle Blower calls/correspondence seriously and all contact is first raised with our CEO and then vigorously investigated in a professional manner and in accordance with legislation.
We have a Whistle Blower policy to support how we deal with these types of incidents.
Family Or Domestic Violence Support Parental Leave
We are committed to providing support and assistance to team members who experience family or domestic violence.
This reflects the paramount importance we attach to ensuring a workplace environment characterised by respectful relationships and gender equality.
Our family or domestic violence policy helps our leaders support team members who experience family or domestic violence.
Ritchies provides up to 10 days personal leave for team members who need family or domestic violence support.
At Ritchies we are committed to supporting our team members having families and balancing career and family commitments with parental leave.
We also offer our team members 4 weeks paid parental leave, in addition to any Government support payments, to support them during their pregnancy/birth.
Team Health Survey
At Ritchies we take all our team feedback seriously so we can improve and grow into the future.
Each year we conduct an anonymous team survey across every Ritchies team member. The survey consists of a wide range of questions around working at Ritchies, work conditions, pay, careers, engagement, leadership direction, our strategy etc.
The survey also allows team members to write comments and provide feedback on multiple choice questions or on any feedback in general they want to give.
Each year once the Survey closes the Senior leadership team review feedback as a whole business and then as individual sites/stores and formulate actions to continuously improve how our team feel, and rate working at Ritchies.
We are pleased to advise that over the last 8 years, since starting this survey, our team have given Ritchies a rating of above 0.9 overall (Team Engaged).
Team Survey Scoring Key
2.0 to 1.5
1.49 to 0.5
Workplace Health & Safety
At Ritchies, workplace health & safety is an area we really want further improvement on. We want to foster a great culture of “Safety First” where we all look out for each other’s safety and that of our customers, suppliers and anyone else who enters our sites/stores. At Ritchies we believe no one deserves to come to work and go home injured. This also applies to our customers; no customer should come to our stores to shop and go home injured.
Our goal at Ritchies is to reduce the number of team and customer accidents year on year.
We have developed robust policies, procedures and safety awareness/support and educational information which are easily available and trained with all team members.
All our Sites/Stores have Workplace Health and Safety notice boards to update team on relevant Safety/Compliance information, updates, awareness, educational information, support, risk identification/ rectification, our Safety measures/targets and outcomes in reducing all accidents at Ritchies.
Workplace Health & Safety
All our team are Workplace Health and Safety trained before they start their first shift at Ritchies and then yearly with all team members, through refresher training on all aspects of People and Food Safety.
We also discuss safety as part of our ongoing daily communication with all our leaders and team members; risks/actions, measure/targets, updated policies/ procedures and training requirements. We have fully trained First Aiders at all our sites/stores and conduct yearly off-site First Aid training refreshers to all our First aiders. We have fully trained Fire Wardens in most of our stores/sites and they also receive regular yearly refresher training.
We have our Ritchies State/National Compliance team led by our CEO who oversees all things Safety/Compliance (People and Food Safety). The team meets monthly to review our performance to targets, review accidents that have occurred and accident investigation findings/actions for future prevention. Reviews also include changes to regulatory requirements, changes to our policies and procedures, team training updates/requirements and potential risks/ improvement actions.
The Compliance team also conduct regular Safety and Food Safety Audits across all our stores and are actively involved in supporting risk mitigation with Store Leadership teams and drive a culture of Safety First and Safety awareness.
All our stores have an appointed WHS Officers and Committee comprising of elected store team members from each department. The team meets monthly to look at store safety performances, risks identified and actions required. They are also responsible for updating team on Safety Training requirements and updates to safety policies and procedures or general safety updates/information.
Creating a culture of “Where Safety Matters”. No one wants to come to work or shop and go home injured. We owe it to ourselves, our families and our customers.
Team Development & Careers 03
We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We understand the important role we play in being one of the biggest employers of people in the communities we operate in. We also understand the role we play in providing many young people their first job/career opportunities in life. We are also proud of the longevity/years of service many of our team members have. Continuing to offer more career opportunities and training/development for all our team members and leaders is vital for Ritchies continued growth and sustainability into the future.
Careers At Ritchies
At Ritchies we offer many job/career opportunities across all ages (from legal working age of 15 years).
We also welcome our team members families/friends and our customers to ask us for job and career opportunities whether it is casual, part-time, full-time roles or leadership opportunities. We have a careers page on our Ritchies website that articulates roles and careers at Ritchies and also current vacancies available to for application across all our sites/stores.
We are proud that over time, career advancement into leadership roles predominantly happens from opportunities given to current team members; from our CEO and 9 out of 11 current Senior leaders at Ritchies who all started their careers as service assistants on casual hours. Over the year’s and through the career opportunities offered to them by Ritchies they have developed and worked their way up into great careers in Senior Leadership roles at Ritchies.
At Ritchies we continue to strive for internal career opportunities for our current team members. All leadership roles that become available are first offered to current Ritchies team members to apply. If no suitable candidate is found within current team, then we advertise the role externally.
We are very transparent in this approach to future leadership career opportunities, and we have our Ritchies career path available on our Ritchies Team Community portal, for everyone to see.
We know the future of Ritchies and future leaders are already working at Ritchies in various roles.
1 We invite all our teams family and friends and all our customers to seek out careers/job opportunities at Ritchies via our Career pages on our website.
2 Our Ritchies career path outlines the path our team members can take to advance into leadership roles from a casual shop assistant, to maybe our future CEO.
Ritchies Succession Planning
An area we have now focused on for Ritchies sustainable future growth is identifying, training and developing our future leaders.
We are now conducting yearly Succession planning reviews to identify multiple possible future leaders for every single leadership role at Ritchies; whether it’s store Department Managers, Store Managers right through to CEO role.
From these reviews we establish the emerging leaders and then look at further training and development opportunities to develop, train and prepare these future leadership for when leadership opportunities arise.
Deli manager team training in conjunction with
Leadership Performance Review
Leadership development feedback is an important part of any individual leaders development.
As part of our leader’s development, we conduct yearly performance review discussions (with half yearly progress discussions/reviews) with all our Supermarket/Liquor Assistant Store Managers, Supermarket/Liquor Store Managers, State Operational Leadership group, Buying team and Senior Leadership group.
Our Ritchies Leadership Performance Review measures our leaders on our Vision/ commitments/values and behaviour, our ways of working, KPIs and most importantly the individual leader personal development goals that each leader sets themselves in conjunction with their line manager.
Don small goods developing skills of our leaders
Trades – “Real Butchers” and apprentices
At Ritchies we are committed to having Butchers cut meat at our stores. We are proud to have Butchers and Packers cutting and wrapping our in-store meat ranges. We are so committed to this that we are actively seeking more meat apprentices to complement our current apprentices, and will continue to do so in the future to keep the trade alive and offer our customers the choice of having their meat cut by “Real Butchers”.
Steve Winter, National Meat Operations Manager/Buyer, Ritchies Supermarket
Team training and development
We know that investment in team training and development will see a stronger, sustainable Ritchies in the future.
At Ritchies we offer a wide range of training from basic online training before a new team member starts their first shift Ritchies to more advanced online training through our Ritchies Growth Trolley training platform. The online training covers a wide range of subjects from Safety, Food safety, Being the Friendliest Team and Ritchies Code of conduct.
We are currently developing a suite of training and training material for all Fresh team members and Department Managers, that better supports ongoing on the job training that we currently do. We also offer Meat Apprenticeships for suitable candidates that want to become Butchers.
We also do product training delivered by our some of our farmers/ producers/ suppliers to advance knowledge of the team in areas like wine, spirits, cheese, baking and produce. This allows them to pass on this knowledge about products to our customers and deliver a better customer experience.
Over the last few years as part of our succession planning, we have begun doing more advanced leadership training across all leadership levels by partnering with a leadership training/ development/culture provider called ‘Xtraordinary Leaders’.
Areas of training Xtraordinary Leaders has so far provided our team are things like the right leadership behaviour, Advanced training for emerging leaders and Presentation skills training for some leaders. We will continue to look for and offer advanced leadership training to our leaders to continue their development. Some of our Leaders also want to personally advance their education.
Upon agreeance, where this education supports their role at Ritchies, we pay for associated costs on successful completion of the course. These can range from short courses right through to Diplomas.
We also offer all leaders the opportunity to partake in our David Welsh Scholarship. This scholarship allows Ritchies leaders to further advance their education and achieve a Masters of Business Degree.
Clifford Karghoo National Bakery Operations Manager first candidate of the David Welsh Scholarship. Clifford successfully completed his Masters of Business Degree through the scholarship in 2019.
Ritchies liquor team members on a farm learning about wine grape growing and production of wine.
Our team tell us through our Team Survey that communication and engagement is important to them for their development, for them to feel engaged/inspired and part of a great team and for them to know what is going on at Ritchies, where we are going and the role they play.
To keep the team engaged we conduct Daily Store Huddles with all available team members in every store.
The Huddles are designed to quickly update team on KPIs, Safety, business updates, whats happening in store and we also use this as a vehicle to do on the spot recognition of team members, using our ROAR/Friendliest team recognition cards and service awards “10 years and beyond” in front of their peers.
Team Engagement Team Pay And Entitlements
Every day, in every store we conduct communication Team Huddles.
On top of giving our team rewarding careers, we also believe strongly in paying our team members based on roles they perform and responsibility each role has. At Ritchies we pay our team based on the GRIA – General Retail Industry Award which is a Government recognised Award used across many areas of the retail industry. We strongly believe in paying our team fairly and correctly, based on roles and hours worked in accordance with the GRIA and all legislation pertaining to paying people correctly.
We take the responsibility of ensuring our team are paid correctly each week seriously in that we conduct leadership monthly team pay checks and audits, to ensure we deliver on this commitment to our team members.
We also encourage our team members to call or email our Wage office with any pay queries or concerns, which we quickly follow up and resolve for them.
OUR COMMUNITY
At Ritchies we believe the Community must always benefit. We understand the importance of our role as a supermarket provider in all our communities. It is not just to supply basic goods/services for households but also the role we play as the hub for communities - employment, support and ongoing growth/support of the communities we operate in; especially in regional areas.
We have many initiatives and programs that support our communities across many areas. These are covered in 4 key areas.
1. Thriving communities
2. Health and well-being
3. Community partners and disaster response
4. Supplier collaboration
Our store team at Maclean
Thriving Communities 01
We aim to support the building of thriving, strong communities that continue to grow into the future.
Ritchies Community Benefit Program
Ritchies is now celebrating 30 years of giving under our Community Benefit Program. At Ritchies we understand that clubs, hospitals, essential services, schools, community services and charities need as much financial support as possible, so back in 1993 we launched the Ritchies Community Benefit Program.
This initiative allows customers to select a club, school, community service or charity to financially support. We have now donated over $53 million back to these community groups since 1993.
For full details of our Community Benefit Program please see our website.
In 1870, Thomas Ritchie started what we like to think maybe been the very first loyalty program, offering a refund of one shilling for every pound spent in his store. The Ritchies Community Benefits Program follows on with his ethic of giving back to the community.
Heany Park Primary School
1 Good Friday appeal funds and other charitable funds are a necessity for hospitals like the Royal Children’s Hospital to effectively function. Raising funds for the hospital helps nurture sick children and support their families in a time of need.
2 Scouts helping youth since 1993, developing life skills, self confidence and shaping/nurturing leaders of our future.
3 RSPCA celebrating giving and making a difference to all beings great and small.
4 CFA Fire Brigade, since 1993, giving back to local essential services, helping to provide valuable equipment on the front line keeping the community, essential service workers and volunteers safe.
5 Our schools are the nurturing ground in the community for our future generations. Our Community Benefits program helps schools obtain much needed equipment such as computers, sporting equipment etc.
Serving & Supporting The Community
Where possible we support community initiatives that beautify, benefit and improve the communities we operate in.
These include things like supporting the painting of murals on some of our stores, that show case the community history or spirit. We are endeavouring to do more of these, with blessing from our landlords, in the future as not only is it great for the community, but also the careers of aspiring artists.
We also encourage our store teams and leaders to be part of community groups such as Rotary clubs, local council meetings/committees, sporting clubs and other clubs/services, to truly become part of a flourishing community. We believe in this so much as a business, that we cover any fees/costs associated with being part of these for our team members who participate.
1-2 Examples of Murals painted by local artists at some of our stores.
3 Ritchies team at Numurkah, proud to be active supporting members of the community. Being recognised by the Moira local council for their commitment and service to the community.
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Local club and Event sponsorships (Community Chest)
We understand local clubs and local events require ongoing funding to make them viable for the community.
To help support and play a role in keeping local clubs and local events thriving, where we can, we provide sponsorship (sometimes donations) where possible through our Community Chest Program and our Lord Mayors Charitable Fund.
Funds for the Community Chest Program are raised when customers purchase certain items flagged instore. A portion of the sales of these products is set aside for this fund.
Ritchies is a proud sponsor of local sporting clubs like Ararat Bowls Club.
Ritchies is a proud sponsor of local events like Mt Eliza fun run/community day which is organised by the Rotary Club.
Ritchies is a proud sponsor of local sporting clubs like Cobram’s junior netball team.
Ritchies is a proud sponsor of local sporting clubs like Numurkah Bowling club
Ritchies Community/Fun Days
A part of our commitment to “Where the Community Benefits” and “Ritchies The Friendliest Team” in the Supermarket and Liquor industry, every one of our stores has a yearly Community/fun day for families and children to have a fun day out.
These days include fun things like face painting, show bags, giveaways, sampling and they also give local organisations a chance to participate and raise some funds like the CFA, SES services, Rotary clubs etc.. All our stores place posters in-store and a note on their store Facebook page, advising customers/ community when their Community/fun day is scheduled.
1 Local services get involved where possible to talk to people about awareness and also raise some funds for their organisations. Local Police
2 Fun activities like colouring competitions and face painting.
3 Sometimes schools get involved like Cobram High school band to showcase their talents.
4 Our supply partners and team provide fun characters to entertain the children.
5 Local CFA raising fire awareness and funds.
Indigenous Engagement
At Ritchies we want to provide more opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander people, suppliers, customers, and communities.
We are aiming to increase work/career and more leadership opportunities on top of our current Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander team representation.
We are actively looking for more suppliers to complement our current Aboriginal and Torres strait Islanders supplier ranges we sell.
We strive to develop strong relationships with indigenous team members/ customers and communities to increase our understanding/recognition of indigenous values, history, culture, knowledge and rights.
We are currently developing an indigenous engagement plan which we will place on our Ritchies website (ritchies.com.au) when complete.
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land in which we live and operate in. We pay respects to their elders past, present and emerging.
Troy Armstrong our National Sushi/Ritchies chicken supervisor is proud of his indigenous heritage.
Pride and Inclusion
Ritchies support the rights of LGBTQIA “Pride is for everyone”
Ritchies inclusive and equal opportunity policy treats everyone as equal, no matter who they are or whom they love.
We want our team, customers and service/supply partners to feel safe and welcome at Ritchies whatever their age, gender, ethnicity, faith, physical ability or sexual orientation.
We want to provide further LGBTQIA and inclusion training to all our team members so we create an environment and culture where everyone feels like they can be their authentic selves –team, suppliers and customers alike.
James Cameron – Director and shareholder at Ritchies since 1976. Proud of who he is and being part of LGBTQIA community.
Accessibility Seniors Discount Day
Ease of access into our stores for people with disabilities is important to us. All our new/ refurbished stores meet all government/building codes which gives people with disabilities ease of access into and around our stores.
In our stores we aim to keep aisles clean and clear of displays/obstacles they may hinder the shopping experience for our customers with disabilities.
We offer home delivery services in most stores for customers with disabilities that cannot get to the physical store.
As part of our being The Friendliest Team our team are always available to assist and support with any needs for customers with disabilities, elderly and even parents who need help during their shop with young children.
In most of our stores we also have a choice of big/small customer trollies and baby capsule trollies to make it easier for customers based on their needs.
In our stores we welcome customers with mobility equipment and support any needs they have to make access as easy as possible for them. We also support essential support animals such as guide dogs, care pets into our stores.
We
understand senior citizens are some of the most vulnerable people in our communities when it comes to the cost of living and support.
To help support our senior citizens (who hold a senior’s card) we offer them a discount of 5% off their total shop every Thursday on our Seniors discount days. (Discount excludes tobacco related products and gift card purchases)
Seniors discount every Thursday. To participate just show your seniors card at registers. Discount excludes tobacco, gift cards and phone recharge cards.
Community Notice Boards
To allow local clubs and services to communicate with the community we have our Ritchies Community notice boards in our stores for our customers/community to use.
Community notice boards available in all our stores.
Customer Feedback (complaints/ compliments/general feedback)
At Ritchies, we welcome any and all customer feedback.
Whether it’s a complaint, compliment, question or suggestion, we take feedback from our customers through various avenues; phone call, by email, via our website or by written mail.
Our commitment to our customers is we aim to respond to any feedback within 72 hours of the feedback being provided. For complaints, we aim to resolve and deliver a better customer experience and for all compliments, we thank customer for feedback and where applicable, recognise the team member that the compliment was for.
We monitor and measure all our customer contacts across all our stores. Our target each year is to have more compliments than customer complaints – we have a strong focus on delivering our Friendliest Team in the Supermarket and Liquor industry commitment to all our customers.
Health & Wellbeing 02
We also want to help people live healthier happy lives and also feel safe when shopping in our stores and feel safe/confident when consuming products, purchased from us.
People Safety and Food Safety
Customer Safety and Food Safety has been a major focus for us. We want to provide a safe store, free from potential hazards so when customers shop in our stores they can do it with ease, enjoy their experience, and feel safe.
We also want to give our customers confidence that the products we sell, especially the products we produce in store (meat, deli, bakery, sushi), are safe to consume/use and are legally compliant with all applicable legislation.
We want our customers and team to feel safe in our stores; enter, shop and not be injured. We have robust safety policies, procedures and checks in place to ensure our team live, breathe our value of “Safety First” culture, ensuring we operate in a way that’s safe. We identify and fix risks that could injure our customers or ourselves. We have strong measures and targets in place to monitor people safety in our stores and is a main focus for the Ritchies leadership team, in
everything we do. All our team are People Safety trained and we conduct yearly People Safety refresher training with all our team members.
We never want to have our customers become ill from any products we sell, especially the in store produced products like meat, deli, sushi and bakery. We follow a robust Food Safety and cleaning plan, following all government and best practice guidelines, to ensure what we sell is safe. Our team go through Food safety training before they start at Ritchies and then have regular yearly refresher training on Food safety.
As part of our Food safety plans, we follow all legislation around Labelling laws. All our in store produced products have ingredients printed on the packaging, or we can provide that information on request to customers for non-packaged products i.e. products from our traditional deli, bulk loose nuts, naked bakery products etc.
We believe strongly that any product we sell, meets our strictest quality tests. If a customer is not happy with the quality of a product they buy from our meat, produce, deli, bakery, Sushi or Ritchies Chicken department, we will not only replace the product, but also give a full refund on that product.
– Our Fresh 200% guarantee.
First Aid Trained Team Members
All our stores/sites have team members fully trained in First aid (Including CPR training) to assist and support our customers and team when the need arises.
We conduct yearly refresher First aid training to the applicable team members across most of our stores/sites, to keep their first aid skills up to speed.
Defibrillators In-Store
We recognise that defibrillators play a vital role in supporting someone in an emergency before emergency services arrive at the scene. In some medical emergencies every second counts and fast response is vital.
Most of our stores/shopping centres have a regularly serviced defibrillator and have First Aid trained team members available to support the use of them in case an emergency.
Each of our free standing stores has a regularly serviced Defibrillator. Where we are in shopping centres the shopping centre has a Defibrillator with easy access.
Mental Health Awareness
Mental health is just as important as physical health, but it is sometimes difficult to identify. This is an area we have really focused on over the last few years, to help support our team and customers, but also play a big part in the education of mental health.
We want to create a culture where it’s OK to ask for helpRUOK and talk about mental health.
We have partnered with the RUOK foundation since 2020, where each year from mid-August to RUOK day in mid-September, we run an educational campaign and fund raise to help support Metal health awareness, in the workplace and our communities.
With support from our customers and team, we have raised funds each year to help support the RUOK foundation with their work on mental health education and awareness.
Ritchies RUOK month from mid August to mid September each year. We raise money for RUOK foundation by selling $2 conversation bubbles, which our customers write a message on and we display in-store.
$130,000
raised over the last 3 years.
Responsible Selling and Serving of Alcohol, Cigarettes and Knives
We are committed to the responsible selling of cigarettes, tobacco/related products, alcohol and knives.
We follow all legislation around selling of these products, as we take the well-being of our customers and team seriously.
Our team who serve/sell these products are all trained on how to serve/sell these products responsibility and within legal guidelines. We also do refresher training regularly and communicate to the team the role they play in being a responsible alcohol and tobacco retailer.
If a Supermarket or Liquor customer does not look 25 or older, we ask for appropriate identification.
We engage with government bodies, industry and community partners to promote the responsible use of alcohol and tobacco.
In Ritchies we also have a range of low and nonalcoholic beverages to meet our customer needs and encourage reduction of alcohol consumption.
We have a wide range of non alcoholic drinks available in our supermarket and liquor stores to promote responsible drinking.
Health & Nutrition
We understand our customers want varying choices around Health and better for you products/ranges.
Across our stores and departments, we carry a wide range of better for you and health ranges from organics, gluten free and meat free ranges. In most of our stores we also have a dedicated grocery, dairy and freezer health food sections which cover a wide range of health needs.
We are now also rolling out across many of our stores a range of environmentally friendly products, for those who want to live a lifestyle that reduces their impact on the environment.
We have dedicated Healthy Living sections for grocery, freezer and dairy sections. Sizes of the ranges vary from store to store.
We are rolling out across many of our stores a dedicated environmentally friendly range.
Across many of our stores we carry a varying range of organic produce lines.
Health & Nutrition
Healthy Living Magazine Recipes
To support living better we will be launching our Healthy Living magazine in 2025. This will be located on our website (ritchies.com.au); showcasing healthier products we range, recipes and hints and tips on living a healthier lifestyle.
WINTER
To support our customers with living better, we also have a range of recipes on our website designed by a chef, to make it easier for our customers to create a range of healthier, or better for you home cooked meals.
Health & Nutrition
We understand that as part of living a healthier lifestyle, fresh produce is an important element in everyone’s diet. Monash and Deakin Universities have partnered with us to conduct a 5 year study on how to help and show customers that eating healthier produce costs less than eating a chocolate bar. We have now introduced informative information around a healthy diet, including 2 fruit plus 5 serves of vegetables a day and our ticketing now includes price per serve information to show that a healthier lifestyle, does not need to cost more.
Full details on Monash University’s 5 year study and other helpful information can be found at ritchies.com.au
Produce ‘Price Per Serve’ information
New research delivers healthy portion pricing for fruit and veg
“Researchers from Monash Business School have collaborated with the Ritchies Supermarket chain and Deakin University to launch Australia’s first per serve pricing tool for fresh produce. This innovation aims to bridge the gap between nutritional guidelines and consumers’ shopping habits, making it easier for everyday Australians to make healthy purchase decisions.
Regular intake of fruit and vegetables is associated with a range of health benefits, including reduced risks of coronary heart disease and stroke. To achieve these health benefits, Australia’s nutritional guidelines recommend that adults consume five to six 75g serves of vegetables and two 150g serves of fruit every day. However, only 6.5 per cent of Australian adults eat the recommended number of vegetable serves, while 55.9 per cent fall short of the recommended fruit servings, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
Intrigued by this disparity and evidence linking affordability perceptions to vegetable and fruit consumption, the research team questioned the conventional practice of only pricing fresh produce by the kilogram.
Lead researcher, Associate Professor Fiona Newton from the Monash Business School, noted that rather than directing shoppers’ attention to what it would cost to purchase a single serve of fresh produce, per kilogram pricing communicates what it would cost to purchase 13.3 serves of vegetables or 6.67 serves of fruit. This is in contrast to many pre-packaged food items, which are priced by the serve.
“Per kilogram pricing doesn’t communicate how much is needed for a healthy serve. If shoppers overlook this aspect, the purchase may not seem like good value for money, which could flow on to their purchase decisions,” said Associate Professor Newton.
“For example, green beans priced at $12.99 per kilogram may initially seem steep. However, this perception may change when shoppers see that the cost of a single 75g serve is only $0.97.”
To address this perceptual issue, Associate Professor Newton and colleagues from Deakin University teamed up with Ritchies supermarkets to compare conventional per kilogram pricing information against a novel combination: providing per kilogram and per serve pricing.
The field trial took place in one store, with four additional comparison stores selected based on offering a similar range of fruit and vegetables and having similar transaction volumes, affluence group share, and average fruit and vegetable prices to the trial store.
After introducing per serve pricing information, the research team found an increase in the purchase of loose fresh vegetables at the trial store, suggesting that per serve pricing helps consumers make purchase decisions consistent with meeting the nutritional guidelines.
“Per serve pricing offers consumers a straightforward way to gauge how much it will cost to meet their daily vegetable and fruit servings. We found adding per serve pricing increased loose vegetable purchases by 6.2 per cent, while fruit saw no significant impact,” said Associate Professor Newton.
In Australia, the size of a serve of fruit is twice that of vegetables (150g versus 75g), which could have implications for perceptions of their value for money. The research team therefore retested the per serve pricing cues in the UK, where both fruit and vegetable recommended serving sizes are standardised at 80g. In this follow-up online study involving 803 UK adults, per serve pricing cues significantly increased both vegetable and fruit purchase intentions. Further analysis demonstrated that this increase in purchase intentions could be attributed to fruit and vegetables being seen as providing greater value for money.
Per serve pricing information is available across all Ritchies Supermarket stores, starting in Victoria.”
Monash University media February 2024
Community Partners & Disaster Response 03
We understand the role we play in our communities and when the community calls for help, we will be there to help and support where possible. We have done so now for decades and will continue to do so in the future.
Charitable Community Partnerships
At Ritchies we believe in being part of the community and supporting great causes “Where the community benefits”.
Throughout the years we proudly support a lot of great organisations, raising much needed funds for awareness and support of the vulnerable and sick in the community. Some of our charitable partners are RUOK foundation (supporting mental health awareness), Mark Hughes foundation (Supporting cancer research), Salvation Army (supporting those in need), Vinnies (supporting those in need), LYS - Love Your Sister (supporting all types of cancer research and awareness), McGrath Foundation (supporting cancer research), BCAM, Pink month Breast Cancer Awareness (supporting breast cancer research).
We will continue to support these great organisations and more on top of the other charitable initiatives we also have in place.
In 2020 Ritchies partnered with Sam Johnston and the Love Your Sister foundation to raise awareness and fund raise for all types of cancer research. In 2023 our customers and Ritchies team raised $38,000 through the sale of $2 Love Your Sister hearts.
1 Numurkah Baking from the Heart Foundation supporting and feeding people in the community.
2 Sam Johnston at our Ritchies Bairnsdale store, raising cancer awareness and funds through his Love Your Sister foundation.
3 Every December we support The Vinnies fundraising drive for people in need at Christmas with the sales of our Vinnies baubles.
4 Each year we support fundraising for Scouts month to help them support and grow the next generation for the future.
5 Wall of Love Your Sister hearts purchased by our customers and team at Taren Point.
6 Each October the team support awareness of breast cancer. Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
7 We partner strongly throughout the year supporting The Salvation Army. We have just introduced Pantry week a collaboration between Kraft/Heinz, Salvation Army and Ritchies. Every Kraft Heinz product sold that same product is also donated to Salvation Army to feed the homeless/needy. 2024 Pantry week raised $143,000 for the Salvation Army.
8 We have partnered with RUOK foundation to drive mental health awareness. We also during our mental health awareness month (mid August through to mid Sept), raise funds for the RUOK foundation by selling $2 conversation bubbles.
9 Every June/July we support Mark Hughes Beanie’s which supports cancer research funding, through sales of beanies.
Disaster Response and Lord Mayors Charitable Fund
We know in our communities’ that things go wrong - droughts, bush fires, floods and storms. Our team are always on the ready when these things happen in our community, whether its donating essential needs like water and food, using the store facilities as a base for the hardworking essential service workers, or raising money to support those in need, post disasters. We will continue to support our community when disasters do arise into the future.
We also have our Lord Mayors Charitable Fund via Melbourne City Council. These funds are held in trust and used for major disasters in Australia and also overseas like floods, droughts and bush fires.
Our Camperdown team raised funds to buy food for residents impacted by the nearby bushfires.
Raising money much needed for our farmers across the country during the drought.
Supplier Collaboration 04
We understand that having healthy, collaborative relationships with our service and supply partners is important, not only for the growth of their businesses, but also Ritchies and the community. Not only are we a major employer of people in our communities, but so are our are supply partners; especially locally and Australian made/grown producers/suppliers. Our combined success means more future career/employment opportunities in the community. The more local/Australian producers, service providers, growers that do well, the better the health of the entire community in which they operate in. Ritchies want our supply/services providers to feel like they are part of the Ritchies family/team, with shared goals, especially around our future sustainability plan. At Ritchies, we are proud to support a lot of local suppliers, producers and growers that don’t have an opportunity to deal with or supply other major supermarkets due to their size, volume of products made/grown and in many cases uniqueness of their products.
Supplier Relationships (Advantage Insights survey)
At
Ritchies we listen and care about how we work and collaborate with our suppliers.
Feedback is based on our working relationships. We collaborate with our suppliers, using an independent company called Advantage Insights, who survey our suppliers on various key indicators and then benchmark us against 23 of the major food and liquor retailers in Australia.
The surveys are anonymous, so we never know which supplier gives specific feedback on us. We take this feedback seriously and after each yearly survey the leadership group reviews this feedback, presented by Advantage Insights team and put in place actions and measures to improve our supplier relationships for the future.
We are proud to say that our Ritchies liquor division has ranked number 1 in 7 of the last 9 years we have been part of the Advantage Insights survey, measured against 23 of Australia’s major liquor retailers.
We are also proud to say that our Ritchies Supermarket division has ranked an average of number 4 over the last 5 years, against 21 of Australia’s top supermarket retailers. We want to improve these relationships and aspire to improve our score, with tangible measurable actions into the future that deliver better outcomes for all. Our aspiration is to get to number 2 ranking against the other 21 supermarket retailers by 2026.
Supplier RelationshipsEngagement
Good relationships are fostered through open 2-way communication with shared vision and shared goals. At Ritchies we strongly believe about being transparent with our suppliers, fostering open dialogue to grow not only the Ritchies business, but that of all our supplier partners. We build strong relationships with our suppliers through many ways.
We openly invite our supply partners to meet regularly with our Buyers sharing a joint business plan that looks at ways to improve our customers shopping experience through better range, value and theatre. These regular catch ups help build great working and collaborative relationships.
In February/March each year we invite all our supply/service partners to attend our Supplier Half yearly update. During our update we communicate progress of our key performance indicators, progress on our business strategies, or additions to our business strategies. We also conduct a Question-and-Answer session on the day to answer openly any questions our supply partners may have on our results, business strategies or issue/changes in the industry. All the senior leadership team and Buyers from across the country attend the Supplier Half Year Business update.
In October each year we conduct our yearly Supplier Awards dinner where we recognise suppliers for performance/collaboration with Ritchies.
Regular catch ups and shared business plans
Half yearly supplier updates Ritchies Supplier recognition awards
Ritchies Supplier Awards night
Direct to Store Suppliers - smaller supply/producer/grower partners
30% of all products we range across all departments at Ritchies are supplied by boutique, local or smaller suppliers/producers/growers, that would not get an opportunity to sell their products in major retailers. These ranges also give us a point of difference and better/more choices for our customers, whether it is a choice of locally made, Australian made, gourmet, ethnicity, healthier or just lines you can’t purchase at other major retailers.
We are proud to say that many small supply partners we have supported over the years have been able to grow, employ more people and flourish in the communities they operate in.
Our commitment
at Ritchies,
is to keep supporting our smaller suppliers and onboarding more suppliers into the future, to give them opportunities to grow in the retail industry.
Smaller volume supply partners. We carry a varying range of smaller supplier lines across all our departments in all our stores.
Locally Made/Grown Products - supporting local growers and producers
We actively invite local suppliers to approach us for supply opportunities (providing they have all
boutique shops to try sell their goods to customers.
Ricardoes tomatoes and strawberries are located near our store in Port Macquarie. They now supply 6 of our stores in the region. They supply and produce pasta sauces, jams, soups, fresh tomatoes and strawberries.
The Melbourne Rock Candy are a small confectionery producer local, to our store in Kyabram. We now stock this range in circa 30 of our stores.
We have many local supply partners supplying a range of grocery products, non-food products, freezer and dairy products, meats, bakery products, deli lines, beer, wine and spirits.
In store we try to highlight local lines with our “We Love Local” shelf talkers and support these suppliers with Store Facebook posts.
Montague’s apple orchard not only grow apples/pears, but also produce juices that we stock in many of our stores.
Ricardoes Tomatoes & Strawberries The Melbourne Rock Candy Montague