SpartanNash Named 2021 Midwest Innovator of the Year by The Shelby Report

Putting People First drives innovation — SpartanNash recognized for COVID response and support for food retailers throughout the pandemic

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Food solutions company SpartanNash (Nasdaq: SPTN) has been named 2021 Midwest Innovator of the Year by The Shelby Report, a leading grocery industry publication. The December 2021 issue features extensive coverage of SpartanNash’s three core capabilities – people, operational excellence and insights that drive solutions for customers.

“The extraordinary leadership acquisitions and initiatives that followed Tony Sarsam’s appointment to president and CEO of SpartanNash captured the interest of our editorial team from the beginning,” said Steph Reid, president and publisher of The Shelby Report. “The honor of Midwest Innovator of the Year truly salutes the SpartanNash culture, team members and focus on solutions that drive success for its customers and partners alike.”

The Shelby Report’s five-page spread on SpartanNash highlights several of the ways the Fortune 400 company has innovated throughout 2021, including:

• People First Culture: Since Sarsam joined the company in September 2020, SpartanNash has made clear that its first investment is in its people. SpartanNash has welcomed several new senior leaders and made significant investments in Associate wages; benefits; diversity, equity and inclusion; internal communications; Associate recognition; and special events.
• Health + Pandemic Response Efforts: In addition to successfully operating every day during the pandemic, SpartanNash has supported its Associates, customers and communities with access to convenient, affordable healthcare and pandemic-related resources. The company hosted free vaccine clinics, offered cash incentives for Associates to get vaccinated against COVID-19, provided a low-cost telemedicine offering for uninsured and under-insured pharmacy patients, and enhanced sanitation and health screening practices in all company locations.
• Convenient Meal Solutions: Two of SpartanNash’s private labels – Our Family^® and Open Acres^® – outsell the top 34 national brands across its 145 corporate-owned retail stores. Additionally, Our Family^® is the nation’s No.1 most followed wholesale brand on Facebook. SpartanNash leverages insights from consumers and its food retailer customers to develop innovative new products in its two test kitchens.

“Customer-focused innovation is our signature strength at SpartanNash, and it’s the outcome of putting People First,” said Sarsam. “By creating an environment where our Associates are supported and empowered to do their best work, we create solutions that help our food retailer customers thrive and deliver the ingredients for a better life in the communities they serve.”

About SpartanNash
SpartanNash (Nasdaq: SPTN) is a food solutions company that delivers the ingredients for a better life through customer-focused innovation. Its core businesses include distributing grocery products to a diverse group of independent and chain retailers, its corporate-owned retail stores, and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges; as well as operating a premier fresh produce distribution network and the Our Family^® brand. SpartanNash serves customer locations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Djibouti. The company owns 145 supermarkets—primarily under the banners of Family Fare, Martin's Super Markets, D&W Fresh Market, VG's Grocery and Dan's Supermarket—and shares its operational insights to drive solutions for SpartanNash food retail customers. Committed to fostering a People First culture, the SpartanNash family of Associates is 19,000 strong and growing. For more information, visit spartannash.com.