Entire Smart & Final Family To Work Pre-Thanksgiving Rush in Stores

To provide for the team members who provide for customers, hundreds of corporate employees will work alongside them to stock shelves, bag groceries and help a wide range of household and business customers purchase the turkey, dressing, pumpkin pie, and myriad other food and service items needed for family gatherings.

"The day before Thanksgiving is second busiest to the third of July, as shoppers choose Smart & Final for our low prices and both household and club sizes that help families and organizations celebrate holidays together," said Dave Hirz, CEO of Smart & Final. "Engagement Day lets us honor a family tradition where everyone pitches in on busy days, in order to serve our customers and neighborhoods as the holiday season gets under way, with dinners, parties and events that continue through the first of the new year."

Engagement Day not only puts executives ranging from regional managers to C-level executives in touch with customers at their local stores, it also gives them a chance to work with employees, doing their part to select produce, ring up customers and gather shopping carts in the parking lot. Hirz will report for duty on Wednesday, November 23 at 1114 Irvine Blvd, Tustin, Calif., ready to reprise his earliest days in the business as a bag boy.

Smart & Final has opened 39 new stores in 2016, the company's 145^th year of continuous operation, all in the new Smart & Final Extra! format. This includes expanded frozen, deli and meat sections, a full produce section, organic and natural food products, a wide selection of private label offerings, and unique products such as self-serve bulk goods by the pound. Select stores offer additional services such as a hot bakery, sushi and cut fruit.

"We continually strive to give back to our local communities, and with 39 new stores in 2016, we have 39 new communities to serve during the holidays," Hirz continues. "We're excited to show them that we're all about giving back to our friends & neighbors in a variety of ways, which also includes Grab & Go food drives at many of our stores, which will give back to more than 20 nonprofit organizations across California, Arizona and Nevada."

In the past year, nearly 6,000 new people have been trained to serve the new neighborhoods, and the company now employs more than 12,000 associates under the Smart & Final banner. This year, Engagement Day is especially important as a demonstration of commitment by all at Smart & Final from a small company that has become a large company, but still believes in the value of families working together to serve customers.

About Smart & Final
Smart & Final Stores, Inc. (NYSE: SFS), is a value-oriented food and everyday staples retailer, headquartered in Commerce (near Los Angeles), California. The Company offers quality products in a variety of sizes, saving household, nonprofit and business customers time and money. As of October 9, 2016, the Company operated 304 grocery and foodservice stores under the "Smart & Final," "Smart & Final Extra!" and "Cash & Carry Smart Foodservice" banners in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada, and Idaho, with an additional 15 stores in Northwestern Mexico operated through a joint venture. In business for 145 years, the Company remains committed to giving back to local communities through employee volunteer opportunities and Company donations to local nonprofits.

Media Contact: 
Karena Bibbins
Burson -Marsteller for Smart & Final 
(310) 309-6663
[email protected]

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SOURCE Smart & Final