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Shaw's Company Profile
The roots of Shaw's supermarkets date back to the 1850's and to a small grocery store in Portland, ME. The store was opened by George C. Shaw, and its specialty was exotic tea. In 1919, Shaw's company was bought by the Brockton Public Markets grocery chain. Both stores grew throughout the century, and by the time Brockton adopted the Shaw's name in 1978, the company had opened retail operations throughout New Hampshire and eastern Massachusetts. In 1987, England's largest supermarket company, J. Sainsbury, acquired a controlling interest in Shaw's.
Today, as a subsidiary of J. Sainsbury, Shaw's operates 166 stores in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. The company also operates two major distribution centers in Massachusetts and one in Maine. It employs over 28,000 people.
Because electricity represents a significant percentage of a grocery store's total operating costs, Shaw's has focused for many years on decreasing its electricity use. The company also has worked on reducing resource use and increasing recycling as ways to further cut costs and minimize environmental impacts. The company's interest in superior environmental performance got a major boost from J. Sainsbury, noted for its commitment to environmental improvement in the U.K. Now guided by a comprehensive environmental policy, Shaw's has pledged to maintain "the highest standards of environmental management in all areas of our business and to constantly seek to improve on the standards. Shaw's also expects all of its suppliers to reflect these standards in their businesses."
This comprehensive environmental policy distinguishes Shaw's from many other businesses - even those with a strong focus on reducing energy use. Shaw's commitment extends to changes that do not contribute as directly to the bottom line as energy efficiency. For example, it has phased out ozone-depleting refrigerants. Although some of the replacement refrigerants are less efficient, they are far less harmful to the earth's ozone layer.
For more information, visit www.shaws.com
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