There’s plenty of talk about customer loyalty, but what about employee loyalty? Employee loyalty is a good indicator for some of the best companies to work for since this signals consistency and a good work environment. In this article, we’ll look at Resume.io’s research on the retail companies with the highest median tenure based on Linkedin data. In other words, we’ll determine which retail companies keep their employees the longest.
10. Albertsons
Albertsons Companies, Inc. is a grocery chain that was founded in Boise, Idaho, where its headquarters remain to this day. The founder originally began his career as a district manager for Safeway grocery stores. Vying against Kroger for the title of being the largest supermarket, Albertsons can claim to have one of the highest employee retention ratings, with an average of six years per hire.
This grocery store also was one of the first retailers to introduce the concepts of magazine racks, scratch bakeries, and in-store made ice cream. On Glassdoor, the most popular praise about this company is summed up with the quote, “might just be my store but most of the cashiers and clerks are great people.”
9. Safeway
Safeway Inc. is another company in the retail sector that was also interestingly founded in Idaho, but this time in American Falls. Founded in 1915, Safeway’s business model claims to have introduced the concept of pricing produce by the pound, “sell by dates” on products, and is among some of the first stores to have designated areas for parking lots.
Currently, they are headquartered in Pleasanton, CA, and in a surprising turn of events, has become a subsidiary of its parent company Albertsons. On average, employee retention is 6.1 years. Glassdoor states that a majority of employees at this grocery store say, “great people and nice to have different work locations daily.”
8. Macy’s
Founded in 1858, Macy’s is one of the few remaining department stores that aren’t closing completely, and is one of America’s mainstay retail brands. Being a department store, Macy’s has expanded its inventory to carry a wide variety of products ranging from clothing to beauty products and toys. Adapting to the world of e-commerce, this retail company was crowned with the achievement of becoming the largest department store company in 2015 through sales volume.
Embedded in America’s cultural history, Macy’s celebrates yearly with its Christmas décor on display in various areas and the Thanksgiving Parade. Tied with Safeway, employees here stay for an average of 6.1 years. On Glassdoor, many employees agree that the department store company has “great people to work with who are both technically knowledgeable and eager to help one another.” This sounds like what people would want in their idea of the best company to work for.
7. Bloomingdale’s
Bloomingdale’s is another American department store on this list but is further defined by its dedication to luxury goods. Founded in 1861, this New York City-born retail company continues to thrive today and maintains its headquarters in the same city it was born. Interestingly enough, Macy’s became Bloomingdale’s parent company after a merger.
Unlike its parent company, this luxury retail chain is a bit more reserved about its company profile and brand messaging, but nevertheless enjoys a healthy company retention average of 6.3 years among its employees. Glassdoor reviews state, “coworkers were great and very friendly” with “Good Benefits and 401K.”
6. Winn✓Dixie
Winn✓Dixie is the third grocery retail company on this list and continues with the 6.3-year average of worker retention. Primarily located throughout the United States South, its headquarters is in Jacksonville, Florida. After nearly being eliminated by bankruptcy in 2005, the grocery retailer closed down many of its stores until being bought out. Its parent company is Southeastern Grocers Inc. which also oversees Fresco Y Más and Harveys Supermarket.
Originally established in 1925, the brand went through a renaming process in 1955 and has become famous for its Chek brand of soft drinks. On Glassdoor, employees review Winn-Dixie by sharing popular experiences such as, “met some great people and have been able to build relationships throughout my career.”
5. Costco
Costco marks the median of this list with the 6.3-year average retention of its employees and is the fourth grocery retailer, marking a notable trend. A members-only retail store, Costco is among the top ten retailers in the world, and one of America’s largest corporations according to its revenue. Costco’s history began in 1973 and through mergers, opened its first warehouse-style club in 1983 in Seattle.
In 1993, Costco merged with Price Club to become PriceCostco generating billions of dollars in sales yearly. According to Glassdoor reviews, thousands of employees agree that when it comes to working for Costco, “the benefits are great and so are the raises you get based on time on the job” and “the pay is good and the job keeps you busy so time goes by pretty quickly.”
4. Giant Eagle
Giant Eagle begins to tip the employee retention scales with an increasing average of 6.6 years per worker. This supermarket retailer was founded in 1918 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and retains its privately held business model to this day. Concentrated around the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic, this chain of grocery stores continues to expand. The most popular reviews on Glassdoor indicate that Giant Eagle has, “good benefits and [is] convenient to buy lunch and drinks.”
3. Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue is the other luxury department store on this list, and was founded in 1867 in Washington, D.C. Afterward, Saks Fifth Avenue established its brand flagship store in 1924. This company has adapted over the decades as a prominent retailer of high fashion throughout the rise of digital e-commerce and social media influencers. This has also led to the subsidiary Saks Off 5th which began as a clearance outlet and has evolved into an off-price store that’s managed independently.
When it comes to its team of workers, Saks Fifth retains its employees for an average of 6.7 years. Employees on Glassdoor mention that it’s, “great for people who want to get to know current fashions and know the products” and it has “great benefits and [discounts]; tons of room for growth.”
2. Wegmans
Wegmans is yet another supermarket chain that operates independently and is headquartered in Gates, New York. Founded in 1916, Wegmans has been able to remain a privately owned family business as part of its claim to success.
Holding another high 6.7-year retainment average, this grocery company expands slowly but surely with 110 stores as of 2023 mostly centered around the East Coast and is headquartered in Rochester, N.Y. Since its inception, it’s been operated by family members of the original founder. On Glassdoor, employees frequently explain that “the health benefits are good” and “the people are great and friendly.”
1. Ahold Delhaize
It shouldn’t be a surprise at this point that the number one retail company with the highest 7.2-year employee retention average is another supermarket grocery retailer. There’s a twist, however, since this grocery retailer did not originate in America. This fascinating surprise reveals that Ahold started as a Dutch multinational retail company before merging with the Belgium-based Delhaize Group in 2016, before becoming officially known as Ahold Delhaize.
At the time of this article, the company claims to have been founded over 150 years ago, and continually works with a scientific R&D department whose purpose it is to innovate and adapt business strategies in cooperation with academia. The most popular reviews on Glassdoor explain that “people are friendly and nice” and also “work-life balance is good for some teams.” This definitely sounds like one of the best companies to work for.
Conclusion
According to research and data from Lucida, there are primarily six important factors that improve retention employees for a company:
- The culture of the people
- Being acknowledged at work
- Impactful benefits
- Constant training
- Workplace environment quality
- The alignment of the company’s values and missions
Currently, the top 10 best retail companies with the highest employee retention are either grocery supermarket stores or department stores, and this might not change for the foreseeable future. This indicates that since these two types of stores are continually busy and cater to forming strong bonds between their team of workers, those appear to be the main factors in retaining employees. These companies also rank highly when considering the best companies to work for, and the retention employees that remain on board are more than happy to share these facts.
Being that the two main categories of retailers on this list are either grocery stores or department stores, draws some parallels with the length of employee retention. Being relatively larger stores, filled with many people does brew together a recipe for a more social environment, along with workplace variety. With this winning formula, it brews a recipe for the best company to work for.
Another important factor to point out is how the most common reviews on Glassdoor all correlate to how team members get along. Companies can help improve this critical factor by fostering a positive workplace environment associated with room for growth, good pay, and great benefits. As a result, the quality of life for staffers reflects in the work they do, and how they interact with one another, as well as customers. Ultimately, this equates to a huge win for everyone; companies, customers, and workers alike.
