| Org Development and Training Director |
Hannaford is the consummate development opportunity for hard workers
willing to apply their efforts to meet corporate objectives in the
Corporate, Warehouse/ Trucking Operations and Retail Divisions. I
started as a retail serviceperson, interviewed and was promoted in house
7 times in 18 years of service. I recieved both in-house and externally
delivered training in both soft-skills and technical skills areas.
Hannaford is all about recognizing and developing talent.
At first look the culture is relaxed with business casual as dress
code but there is a deeper subculture of formality and recognition of
position and power. Once a new hire determines roles and goals, there is
a clear path to success. Success comes from learning and applying new
skills within parameters set by upper management. Off the wall, overly
creative types would be frustrated by the conservative nature of the
company culture and the constraints of the grocery business. Those
willing to work within the rules will do well.
Hours vary according to position but the standard is long hours and
hard work. Maintaining standards of excellence and a 'whatever it takes'
attitude is expected. It is definitely not a 9 to 5 job. Do not expect
to punch in and out on a regular schedule. Retail schedules can be the
most disruptive as labor is tightly scheduled to reflect customer
demands which ebb and flow according to seasonal calendars, locations,
and economic issues. Even a single weather event can create a mandantory
overtime event to meet the demands of hungry (literally) customers. A
snow forecast can mean high customer counts, empty store shelves, and
frenetic restocking efforts. You might think this culture would create
turnover but it is quite low. Those of us who are Hannaford 'alumni'
stay in touch with folks still there and compare notes often. Hannaford
is quite simply a part of our lives and in our blood. We love to tell
stories about 'moments of truth' where hard work and principles won over
adversity. I still shop their stores and probably always will.
I would recommend Hannaford for any person who wants to learn supply
chain and retail industry skills. They are recognized as one of the
best. The company was recently absorbed by the Delahaize American group
who mined the Hannaford staff to improve their overall North American
operations. Opportunities were the result of the purchase, not the usual
downsizing most people would expect. Hannaford continues to operate
under their name in the competitive NorthEast corridor for Supermarkets
and in the Atlantic Seaboard. They continue to innovate in pricing and
ordering processes to leverage supply chain profitability. They continue
to innovate in retail marketing for grocery chains and compete very well
against the invasion of WalMart superstores that carry similar items.
Hannaford customers are quite loyal with same store sales growing each
year with rare exceptions. This statistic is the baseline by which all
retail sites are measured in most retail industrys.
I left the company to pursue other interests and am always struck by
how much I learned and felt supported in my career efforts at Hannaford
vs. the culture of other companies I worked for or consulted with. I
would give Hannaford a 5 out of 5 star rating especially for recent
college graduates willing to work hard to build a career path.
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