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SpartanNash issues code of conduct for vendors

Distributor says move increases transparency of expectations from business partners

Russell Redman

April 9, 2021

2 Min Read
SpartanNash_HQ_sign_closeup.jpg
SpartanNash said the Vendor Code of Conduct will be distributed in the coming weeks to its more than 13,000 vendors, suppliers and contractors.SpartanNash

Grocery wholesaler and retailer SpartanNash is implementing a “Vendor Code of Conduct” that delineates its expectations for compliance and commitment by its supplier and other trading partners. 

Grand Rapids, Mich.-based SpartanNash said the Vendor Code of Conduct will be distributed in the coming weeks to its more than 13,000 vendors, suppliers and contractors for acknowledgement and compliance. All SpartanNash vendors are expected to act in accordance with the code, which sets guidelines for how trading partners conduct their businesses, and sign an acknowledgement stating their intentions to comply, the company said.

“As part of our people-first culture, we hold our family of nearly 19,000 associates accountable for living our core values and adhering to our Code of Business Conduct,” Kathleen Mahoney, executive vice president and chief legal officer at SpartanNash, said in a statement. “We are committed to operating in a legal, ethical, safe, fair and environmentally responsible manner, and we expect our vendors, suppliers and contractors to do the same. By developing the Vendor Code of Conduct, we have created greater transparency for vendors into what our expectations are in working with SpartanNash.”

SpartanNash said its Vendor Code of Conduct requires its business partners and service providers to act ethically and with integrity, avoid conflicts of interest, and act in compliance with laws and contracts. On a broader level, the code also calls on vendors to protect privacy and data, source minerals responsibly, protect human rights, support vendor diversity and inclusion, and adhere to environmental stewardship efforts. The distributor's vendor conduct code will be made available on its website as well.

“SpartanNash partners with thousands of great suppliers, food manufacturers, vendors and contractors to fuel our supply chain and optimize our business operations,” according to Lori Raya, executive vice president and chief merchandising and marketing officer at SpartanNash. “Our teams will be reaching out to our partners to share and explain the Vendor Code in the coming weeks. Based on the relationships we have formed as the country’s fifth-largest food distributor and a leading distributor of grocery products to military commissaries around the world, we anticipate our partners will appreciate our transparency on conduct expectations.”

Totaling $9.35 billion in net sales last year, SpartanNash operates grocery wholesale, military commissary distribution and retail grocery business units, serving customer locations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Djibouti. Its retail network encompasses 154 corporate-owned supermarkets under such banners as Family Fare, Martin’s Super Markets, D&W Fresh Market, VG’s Grocery and Dan’s Supermarket.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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