The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company
Company: The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Montvale, NJ
Entry Submitted By: Mastro Communications
Company Description: Founded in 1859, A&P is one of the nation's first supermarket chains. The Company operates 435 stores in 8 states and the District of Columbia under the following trade names: A&P, Waldbaum's, Pathmark, Best Cellars, The Food Emporium, Super Foodmart, SuperFresh and Food Basics.
Nomination Category: Company/Organization Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Environmental Stewardship Program of the Year
Nomination Title: The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company
Describe for the judges the activities and accomplishments of the nominee during the eligibility period (up to 500 words):
A&P’s approach to business centers on being socially responsible, economically
logical and dedicated to environmental sustainability. Today, A&P operates a
sustainability team, led by Jennifer MacLeod, Sr. VP, Marketing &
Communications, which actively seeks opportunities to improve resource
efficiencies. In 2008-2009, the team examined every facet of the business to
improve and illustrate A&P’s environmental efforts, capturing current practices,
researching industry trends, meeting with sustainability experts, and developing
programs to help preserve the environment, and conserve natural resources. In
turn, they formulated strategies to integrate and streamline the practices across
their supermarket banners: A&P, Food Basics, SuperFresh, Pathmark, The Food
Emporium and Waldbaum’s.
At A&P’s headquarters, a comprehensive effort is placed on promoting key
practices, such as encouraging office associates to recycle, providing car pool
parking spaces, installing occupancy sensors, posting monthly green tips on the
intranet, etc. Also, the “Earth Day. Every Day.” logo is an A&P signature effort,
which appears on the Company’s website, is used on product “paid” stickers (for
items like detergent that don’t require bags) and is included in all sustainability
communications.
From an in-store perspective, A&P’s environmental practices include:
• Lowering in-store lighting levels for significant decreases in energy
consumption, resulting in lessening A&P’s imprint equivalent to the removal of
1,058 cars off the road.
• Placing high efficiency fluorescent lighting throughout the majority of
stores and using white Thermoplastic polyolefins roofing for replacement roofs and
new store locations.
• Recycling 100,000 tons of cardboard a year, the imprint equivalent of
removing 59,000 cars off the road.
• Enabling shoppers to recycle plastic grocery bags, and other plastics
by placing recycling bins in-store.
• Creating incentives for associates to pack 5 or more items per plastic
bag to maximize space and reduce waste.
A&P also features five state-of-the-art energy efficient stores:
• Three Pathmark stores have 300kw Solar Power systems which provide
approximately one third of their total electric requirement and reduce demand on
the local electrical grid.
• Two co-generation stores feature rooftop combined heat and power,
micro-turbine generating systems that provide energy savings to the store and
reduce demand on the local electrical grid.
A&P is also heavily committed to the Elizabeth Haub Foundation, which was
established more than 30 years ago as an international, non-profit organization
supporting legislation addressing worldwide environmental concerns. Since 2006,
A&P has offered customers re-usable, environmentally friendly, designer quality
shopping totes at the low cost of 99 cents. A portion of the sales from these
stylish totes is donated to the Foundation to help curb the use of disposable
waste plastics and conserve paper resources. Since 2006, proceeds from the
sale of the Elizabeth Haub bags have resulted in nearly $1 million donated to the
Foundation.
Overall, these accomplishments have made a significant impact, as the value of
A&P’s sustainability efforts is equal to removing at least 60,292 cars from the
road
annually. A&P has sustained its business for 150 years, and with continued
determination, ingenuity and conscientious business practices, it will continue
serving customers for many generations.
List the URLs (web addresses) of any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that you would like the judges to see that support your entry. IMPORTANT: List each URL on a separate line, begin each URL with http://, and enclose each URL in square brackets. For example, [http://www.yourcompany.com/pressrelease.html]:
Provide a brief biography of the nominee or the person or persons who lead the nominated organization (up to 100 words):
Jennifer MacLeod is Senior Vice President of Marketing for The Great Atlantic &
Pacific Tea Company, Inc. (A&P). A&P owns and operates more than 435
supermarkets under six banners, in six U.S. states and the District of Columbia,
with annual sales of $9.4 billion.
Ms. MacLeod joined A&P in 2005 after serving as Vice President of Marketing and
Public Relations for Co-op Atlantic, a successful food and general merchandise
operator based in New Brunswick, Canada.
As A&P’s Senior Vice President of Marketing, she directs a staff of more than 65
Associates with responsibility for all marketing, advertising and promotions,
public
relations and corporate communications, electronic marketing, online shopping,
loyalty card programs and customer care. She is the editor-in-chief of the
Company’s Easy Solutions magazine. Ms. MacLeod also leads the Company’s
cross-functional Sustainability team.
Ms. MacLeod is a member of A&P’s Executive Management Team and reports
directly to the Company’s President & Chief Executive Officer.
Active in both the industry and the community, she is a member of the New
Jersey Advertising Council, the Food Marketing Institute’s Sustainability
Committee, a three year consecutive winner in the Top 50 Woman in The US
Grocery Business, a recipient of the national Green Grocer Award for efforts
towards sustainability as well as an inductee into Progressive Grocer’s Top
Women in Grocery Hall of Fame. She volunteers with the Hackensack Cancer
Center, and is an advisor with Each One Teach One Literacy and the United Way.