Important COVID-19 updates for our customers

North West Company Response to Covid-19

Pillar 2Better Quality of Life for our Customers

At A Glance

9.2

percent sales increase of healthy food items in our retail stores – the result of our Health Happy program

3.3*

percent lower retail prices since 2011 despite a 21 percent inflation rate over the same period, thanks to our participation in and advocacy for NNC
*comparable products

200,000

store labour hours saved through our Pure Retail initiative, freeing
up time for associates to assist customers

 

Quality of Life Overview

Overview

As a business that provides essential services to developing communities and economies, The North West Company plays a central role in enhancing quality of life for local residents.

Understanding our customers often struggle with the high costs associated with living in small, remote communities, we make every effort to make our goods and services affordable, and to advocate for programs that maximize customer purchasing power.

We also look for opportunities to improve community wellbeing, whether by offering wholesome food alternatives, delivering improved healthcare services, or participating in initiatives that encourage healthier lifestyle choices. Through effectively collaborating with the communities we are proud to serve, we seek to jointly bring "solutions" forward that help to address local challenges.

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Commitments, Goals, Performance, and Next Steps

COMMITMENT: Provide significant social benefit by soliciting opinions from and seeking opportunities to collaborate with community leaders, groups, and individuals.

2019/20 Goals Action Steps Metric

Enhance the in-store experience for customers through our Pure Retail initiative.
  1. Implemented our Pure Retail Initiative, which saved more than 200,000 store labour hours, freeing up management and associates to better serve customers and offsetting other store cost increases.
  1. Product Recall/Product Responsibility Monitoring
  2. Retailing Responsibility

Promote and invest in affordable and accessible healthy food options for customers in our stores.
  1. We offer up to 800 items (depending on store size) – including affordable “better nutrition” food options – to store locations in Canada and Alaska via our Health Happy program; sale of these items increased by 9.2 percent overall.
  2. Accounted for more than 50 percent of subsidized tonnage shipped via Nutrition North, which helps reduce the cost of nutritious foods in remote Canadian communities. Investments by North West have enabled the program to generate retail savings of 3.31 percent since 2011 despite an inflation of 21 percent over the same period.
  1. Healthy Food or Products
  2. Healthy Food or Products

Advocate for improvements to the Nutrition North program and other social programs that impact our operating communities.

  1. In conjunction with other Northern stakeholders, advocated for a seasonal transportation subsidy for Nutrition North Canada eligible communities, resulting in lower sealift and winter road prices for remote communities.

  2. Supported calls by Indigenous communities to index social payments to northern cost of living realities; to expand access to quality healthcare for all northerners.
  1. Healthy Food or Products