Raley's Adopts Open-Office Workspace with Support Center Revamp

Raley’s has completed renovations of its support center to create an open-office environment that promotes collaboration and teamwork while reflecting the grocer’s brand and culture.

Teaming with Coact Designworks, Raley’s sought to transform its three-story building that offers team members an “open, contemporary place to work” that makes the environment a “happy and productive place.” The project began in 2016.

“We opened up the building to bring in light, designed areas with opportunity for collaboration and listened to what team members told us would make this building a great place to work,” said Mark Foley, Raley’s chief people officer. “We’re proud to offer a vibrant work environment that brings energy into the workplace.”

The collaboration process with Coact included strategic workflow updates to create higher levels of efficiency, collaboration and engagement between team members. Major redesigns on each floor removed private offices along the building perimeter to expose windows, and walls in conference and meeting rooms were designed as full-height glass walls and doors. The design elements all take advantage of natural light to fill spaces and help employees benefit from an open-floor concept.

Additional design decisions include:

• A wide variety of alternative work spaces, including conference rooms of varying sizes that can accommodate between two and 16 people; open, team-huddle and brainstorming areas; tucked away semi-private hotel stations; stand-up telephone booths; and open-use, soft-seating for both private and collaborative use. These versatile spaces are incorporated throughout the building to accommodate different work styles.  

• Meetings to identify individual teams’ wants and needs, which informed development of layouts and selecting finishes on each floor. For instance, creative minds were given full dry-erase walls, pin-up walls and standing-height layout tables to support brainstorming; the marketing team received a cutting-edge photo studio complete with a “beautifully designed” kitchen set and video space; and the merchant team got a custom wine- and beer-tasting room to store and sample potential products.

• Selection of furniture through a partnership between Raleys, Coact and MTA, a Sacramento-based firm specializing in Herman Miller-designed furniture, to select and source furniture for use throughout the office, including all open work areas, huddle rooms, conference rooms and the main lobby. The partners considered many factors when selecting furniture, including ergonomics, flexibility and a balance of traditional and casual.