Nov
17
Premium is the one-stop solution for any supplier merchandising at Walgreens.
Category: Drug
Apr
30
As April comes to a close, the #PeopleofPremium have been answering to retail’s changing demands for seven weeks. We’ve encountered challenges never seen before. We’ve sacrificed and pivoted. Tireless efforts on the frontlines and behind the scenes. It’s been all-hands-on-deck at Premium.
Seamless transitions.
- IT worked around the clock to ensure our offices and employees could transition into 100% work from home operations in less than 72 hours.
- Numerous dedicated teams were sidelined as of March 22nd when Best Buy began offering contactless, curbside service. Just as quickly, team members temporarily transitioned into other areas experiencing increased demand to continue financially supporting their families.
- For the surge in new needs, nearly all of Client Services shifted its focus to support project initiatives in essential retail channels. Recruiting, Field Operations, and Training went into overdrive. Zone Leaders and Flex reps stepped into interim recruiting and onboarding roles to support new additions to the Premium team.
Supporting our team members.
- The Operations Support Center, Field Management, Human Resources, and Communications stayed in constant contact with our employees, answering thousands of emails, messages, calls, and posts.
- We took conservative financial measures and temporary pay reductions to prevent layoffs and furloughs.
- The NLDC team safely received protective gear (while socially distancing), and turned around shipments of 4,300 supply kits as fast as we think was humanly possible. It was less than a 24-hour turnaround from the time masks arrived, to the time shipments went out. Meanwhile, Karen Boyl, a member of the Walmart PSP team, and Linda Brown, a member of the Google team, went above and beyond sewing face coverings for Premium coworkers.
Continued success.
- We launched the Walgreens GO merchandising team on March 23rd. For the four peak weeks that followed, the team executed 8,000 hours per week. Our collective speed of response and tight collaboration with Walgreens is a significant Premium success story.
- At the same time, we stepped up for CVS, and have ramped up to 5,000 hours a week supporting multiple shifts through May.
- In April, we began aggressively fielding teams for Rite Aid’s distribution centers, supporting their flow of inventory and fulfillment of online orders. We also provided Rite Aid with 6,000 hours of in-store support, six days a week, across 25 regions.
- Walmart Wireless banded together to ensure 96% of the hours at our stores were covered. The team was laser-focused on health and safety while understanding shoppers’ urgent need for mobile connectivity.
Reinventing ourselves outside of the store.
- Samsung’s Home Entertainment team has virtually connected with thousands of Best Buy and warehouse club associates and customers across the US and Canada.
- Logitech’s online community of Blue Shirts have been enjoying an all-day Twitch gaming stream. The team has also stepped in to support customers in online retail, providing responses to thousands of unanswered product reviews and questions.
- Lenovo STARs made socially distanced visits to stores to drop off Stock the Breakroom care packages for our friends at Best Buy.
This is not nearly an exhaustive list. Share your win using #PremiumHeroes. Thanks for all you do, and thanks for being Premium!
Jan
6
As we reflect on 2019, the Premium family is proud of a year marked by innovation, growth and employee engagement.
Innovation.
This year, we introduced the Premium Launchpad to ensure seamless field execution for critical product launches. We combine in-depth planning and project management with rigid kitting and shipping protocols, comprehensive training and communication strategies, real-time mapping visualizations, and robust business intelligence, all supported by a talented team of Operations Support Specialists. Launchpad comes to life in real time as our workforce executes in store, and we continually refine and communicate to deliver incredible scale within the confines of same-day execution.
Premium’s Launchpad is made possible thanks to our newly-formed Operations Support Center (OSC). By merging Premium’s previously existing Retail Contact Center and Retail Operations Center, the OSC now offers more robust field support and elevated customer service to Premium employees and clients. Over 70 OSC specialists provide seamless omnichannel communication, quality assurance, dependable job knowledge, multi-tiered troubleshooting and a more efficient path of escalation and resolution.
This year, we also focused on increasing engagement through interactive video, reaching remote field teams and retail associates with live or on-demand content. We even started an internal broadcast called Premium Now to keep remote team members in the loop with Premium leadership and happenings.
Growth.
2019 was also a continued year of growth for Premium. We substantially grew our partnerships in the drug and mass channels, expanded our work in wireless sales, and added exciting brands including Anagram, PopSockets and Lindt & Sprüngli to our client roster.
Along with Premium’s growing business comes the need for expansion, which is why we completed a series of moves. Both of our corporate offices in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Mississauga, Ontario, moved into larger spaces to accommodate team growth. We also recently moved into a new 130K+ square-foot National Logistics and Distribution Center (NLDC) centrally located in St. Louis, Missouri. The facility increased our on-site storage capacity by 500% and features 12 receiving docks, state-of-the-art security systems and an enhanced pick-and-pack system. We support our Canadian clients with a similar 100,000 square-foot facility in Toronto, Ontario.
Culture.
Premium’s 2019 Culture Team powerfully delivered on its mission of increasing employee engagement and giving back to our community. Notably, Premium was named a St. Louis Post-Dispatch Top Workplace for the second year in a row. Additionally, the Premium family raised more than $22,000, donated nearly 4,500 items and provided more than 45,000 meals to families in need.
The 13 charitable organizations supported by Premium in 2019 include Ronald McDonald House, Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Cardinals Care, American Red Cross, Feeding America, Mississauga Food Bank, Kids Against Hunger, Clean Up The World, Feed My Starving Children, United Way, Alzheimer’s Association, Stray Paws Rescue and The Red, White and Blue Tour.
We’re so thankful to our Premium family – our team members, clients and partners – who have undoubtedly contributed to the successes and growth we realized in 2019. Here’s to a fantastic 2020!
Looking for a new opportunity in 2020? Apply to become a part of the team!