When tragedy strikes

Tops devotion to its employees and community was front and center when the unthinkable became a reality. On May 14, 2022, a shooter took the lives of 10 people and injured three others in a racially-motivated attack in an East Buffalo Tops store.

To help navigate the aftermath of this tragedy, the Tops team leaned into the maxim that serves as the company’s North Star – put people first.

“During the COVID pandemic, we learned to lead with the heart,” said Kris Wydro, VP of HR. “We learned the importance of constant communication. So when that tragedy occured, we had a lot of those processes already in place.”

Persons explained that a shift to improved communications strategies and more flexible decentralized decision-making during the pandemic was an asset to the chain when dealing with the unexpected. But there’s no playbook for the challenges the company faced after the tragic attack.

“First, we wanted to make sure that we were doing the right thing for our associates, that they felt safe and supported, and we also needed to help the community,”

Persons said.

The company organized individual and group counseling services for staff at the library across the street from the store and continues to offer counseling services to Tops associates.

Tops also reached out to the community, partnering with several organizations, including the Resource Council of Western New York. Tops also created the Buffalo 5/14 Survivors philanthropic fund, initially seeding it with $500,000 as well as covering all administrative fees.

It was clear that this store was important to the community and its loss was keenly felt. “We were more than a grocery store. We were the community store that provided additional services such as pharmacy prescriptions, ATM banking and utility payments, which were all taken away once the store closed,” said Kristen Hanson, VP, center store sales, merchandising and pharmacy.

To give the neighborhood alternative access to groceries while their store was closed, Tops offered a free shuttle to nearby Tops sites and delivery service of groceries and prescriptions. The company also partnered with FeedMore WNY, the central food bank of Erie County, to distribute food donated by Tops and its vendors. The company set up ATM and utility payments in a nearby location.

The people in the East Buffalo neighborhood needed their Tops store to reopen as quickly as possible.

“People in the community wanted the store to reopen,” said David Christopher, manager of the Jefferson store. “There’s a need for us to be here.”

Building back better

Building the store from the ground up was a given. Tops also engaged in listening sessions with store associates and local community groups to determine how a new store could best serve the community.

“We wanted to make sure people would feel comfortable in the store again,” Persons said. “Environmental safety and security were very important issues. We paid extra attention to sightlines and the environment around the building, we adopted an intruder alarm system and added an additional rear exit.”

Please see page 20

From page 19

Customers wanted healthier options, an expanded selection of organic products, more fresh foods, enhanced education around healthy eating and wellness programs in the pharmacy and a focus on minority-owned brands.

The new 30,000-square-foot store, completely remodeled from top to bottom in 52 days, delivers on all of those attributes. A new layout features mobile fixtures and better lighting and incorporates digital screens that highlight healthy eating and community events.

Local brands are spotlighted and the store partnered with a local florist on an enhanced floral department. Minority-owned brands – Mercedes Wilson, maker of Sadie’s Relish, Boss Sauce and Skincare Essentials by Jill – are supported with in-store demos. About 75 percent of the store’s staff have chosen to return to work there or have transferred to another location.

“We take a lot of pride in this store,” said Christopher, who has been a Tops employee for 20 years.

A memorial water wall displays a poem by Buffalo Poet Laureate Jillian Hanesworth that begins, “Let the hopeful healing waters flow.” It’s a testament to the lives lost and the resilience of those who survived.

As Tops moves forward, the organization is more committed than ever to live its values as a people-centered company.

“We’re always affected by something in the macro world or in the micro world of the store,” Persons said. “We try to prepare and make sure our people understand we’re operating in a dynamic environment with complexities you have to deal with, things you have to figure out.

“But you build camaraderie in that foxhole. It solidifies a bond and a family culture. We’ve learned this together. We’ve been through this together. We’ve weathered that storm together.”