The 2008 version of Fortune's ranking of the 100 Best Companies to Work For turns up a lot of familiar names from the retailing world.
Leading the way was Wegmans Food Markets. The family-owned grocery chain has made the "Top 100" ever since Fortune began publishing its list in 1998. The company has placed in the top 10 for the past six years.
"Every one of our employees and our customers should stand up and take a bow, because together they make Wegmans a special place," said Danny Wegman, CEO of Wegmans in a press release. "Whenever I'm in one of our stores, customers stop to tell me how much they appreciate our employees. You can imagine how great that makes our people feel and why they enjoy coming to work every day."
The list of retailers to make Fortune's list include:
INCLUDED IN TOP 100 |
|
#3 |
Wegmans Food Markets |
#7 |
Starbucks |
#12 |
Nugget Markets |
#16 |
Whole Foods Market |
#20 |
Container Store |
#26 |
Stew Leonard's |
#28 |
QuikTrip |
#34 |
REI |
#36 |
Nordstrom |
#91 |
Publix Super Markets |
| Source: Fortune | |
One of the factors in determining the companies that made Fortune's list was job creation. In all, the "Top 100" companies employed 16 percent more workers in 2007 than the year before. Only QuikTrip and Nordstrom failed to create more jobs among the retailers on the list. Nugget Markets ranked tenth among all companies when it came to percentage increases in new jobs created.
JOB
CREATION |
|
Nugget Markets |
+20% |
REI |
+19% |
Starbucks |
+15% |
Stew
Leonard's |
+13% |
Whole Foods Market |
+11% |
Publix Super Markets |
+5% |
Container Store |
+5% |
Wegmans Food Markets |
+4% |
Nordstrom |
0% |
QuikTrip |
-5% |
| Source: Fortune | |
Healthcare coverage was also prominently factored into Fortune's assessment. In this area, Nugget Markets, Whole Foods and Stew Leonard's stood out for paying 100 percent of their employees' healthcare premiums.
Discussion Questions: What common attributes do you see among the retailers that made Fortune's list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For? Will we see any of these companies compromise on or abandon those attributes for success during what may be a rough year for business in 2008?