NEW YORK -- Convenience-store chains and grocers dominated Fortune magazine’s annual list of the 15 best workplaces in retail.
Great Place to Work, the longtime partner of Fortune’s list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For, crunched the numbers on workplace fundamentals at U.S. retailers and parsed thousands of employee surveys to create this year’s list of the 10 best large retailers to work for—and the five best small and medium-sized ones, all with rave reviews from employees.
Click through to find out which c-store chains made the 2016 list …
For the convenience-store industry, QuikTrip Corp., Tulsa, Okla., led the list at No. 5.
Total number of employees: 20,342
Type of company: Private
Industry vertical: Food/grocery
Number of locations: 779
Employees said:
“I had a part-time job before this as a server, and I absolutely hated it. The organization was disorganized, co-workers were rude, management was always difficult, etc. Then I took this job at QuikTrip, and it was the best decision I ever made. I genuinely enjoy coming to work. I love the people I work with. … I’m a 17-year-old high school student. I got this job with the intention of keeping it for just a few years to make some extra cash, but I absolutely love it, and with so many great opportunities for growth and advancement, I can really see myself having a lifetime career with OuikTrip.”
“There is a serious sense of community and love throughout our QT team! Everyone at any of our stores has great respect for one another, which helps to support our shared desire to be the No. 1 convenience store available!”
Read the full Great Place to Work review here.
"QuikTrip is very proud of being selected as one of the best companies to work for," company spokesperson Mike Thornbrugh told CSP Daily News. The QuikTrip culture continues to grow and that means everything to us.
Sheetz Inc., Altoona, Pa., joined QuikTrip on the list, ranked at No. 9. Last year, it was No. 10.
Total number of employees: 15,044
Type of company: Private
Industry vertical: Food/grocery
Number of locations: 544
This company has done things differently, focusing not only on generous benefits and pay for employees, but also on career development and community giving, which makes people glad to be where they are, the report said.
“Sheetz employees aren't your typical fast-food or gas-station employees. We’re a whole new breed, and that's what makes Sheetz the best,” one employee said. “Sheetz is a beast that not many competitors can shake a stick at, all because of the quality of service that the employees give, and the genuine care and love that we all have for one another.”
Read the full Great Place to Work review here.
“We have tried our best to create an environment where our employees look forward to coming to work each day and are proud to be a part of this company. Our employees are the best in the business and they bring our internal mantra of TCF (Total Customer Focus) to life 24/7 365,” said Joe Sheetz, president, in a press release acknowledging the accomplishment. “Our team members take excellent care of our customers, so it just makes sense for our organization to take care of our team members. Sheetz is proud to offer employees competitive wages, great benefits, flexible schedules, opportunities for advancement, bonuses, vacation time and more.”
Wegmans Food Markets took the No. 1 spot on the entire list. Other grocers included Nugget Markets (No. 2) and Publix Super Markets (No. 4).
Click here for the full 2016 list.
Get today’s need-to-know convenience industry intelligence. Sign up to receive texts from CSP on news and insights that matter to your brand.
CSP’s Top 202 details the largest chains in the convenience-store industry and the biggest M&A stories of the past year. Welcome to a deep dive into the c-store landscape.
Category sales performance in Beverages, Candy, General Merchandise, Packaged Food/Foodservice and Snacks.
The industry’s largest distributors by sales volume
Corporate retail news affecting the convenience-store industry
The latest information on products and trends in the convenience-store and foodservice industries.
Peek inside new convenience stores to uncover the best in retail store design across North America.