Tops Expands Flashfood Program to 50 Locations

Tops Markets LLC has expanded its Flashfood program to include 17 additional stores throughout the western New York region. With 50 Tops locations now offering greater and easier access to affordably priced goods, Tops and Flashfood’s partnership also contributes to the fight against food waste.

The Flashfood app allows shoppers to browse and purchase fresh food, including produce, meat, deli and bakery products, nearing its best-by date at significantly reduced prices. Shoppers then simply pick up their items at the Flashfood zone located at their Tops location.

“We’re proud to be working with sustainability-focused retailers like Tops Friendly Markets to help consumers who are looking to feed their families [and] affordably access discounted, perfectly good food nearing its best-by date — all while ensuring less food goes to waste,” said Josh Domingues, founder and CEO of Toronto-based Flashfood. “Approximately $37 billion worth of food is thrown out each year in the U.S. at the retail level, while an estimated one in nine Americans are food insecure. This is a serious problem that needs to be addressed by all of us working together toward smart, forward-thinking solutions that help people and the planet.”

To date, Tops and Flashfood have worked together to:

• Feed more than 3,000 families affordably.
• Save customers an average of $108 on their grocery spend each month.
• Divert more than 150,000 pounds of food from landfills.
• Save the emissions equivalent of 667,885 miles driven by the average vehicle.

“Many of our customers were among those hit hard by financial challenges over the past year, and partnering with Flashfood allows us the opportunity to help the communities we serve gain access to discounted groceries,” said Jeff Culhane, SVP, merchandising for Tops. “We are excited to expand the program with Flashfood and believe it will help us divert food from being thrown in landfills while also saving our shoppers thousands of dollars.”

The Flashfood expansion is another example of how Tops has been improving its sustainability efforts this year. From working with local suppliers, to investing in renewable energy, to ensuring that even the tiniest detail of its operation is reducing environmental waste, the retailer continues to ensure that it reduces environmental waste and energy consumption while providing customers with sustainably sourced, high-quality products.

Additionally, Flashfood helps Tops and other retailer partners earn revenue on items that would typically be counted as a loss. By partnering with Flashfood, grocery retailers can reduce shrink, improve EBIT by 3% to 5%, and make a positive impact on their carbon footprint.

The app operates in more than1,000 grocery locations throughout the United States and Canada. Flashfood is currently working with Meijer, SpartanNash, Giant Eagle, Stop & Shop, and The Giant Co. (Watch Progressive Grocer's on-demand webinar featuring Nick Bertram, president of The Giant Co., and Flashfood's Domingues as they discuss why sustainability is core to winning shoppers.)

Williamsville, N.Y.-based Tops Markets operates 157 supermarkets, with five additional franchise stores, and employs 15,000 associates in New York, northern Pennsylvania, and western Vermont. The company is No. 66 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. Grand Rapids-based Meijer and SpartanNash and Pittsburgh-based Giant Eagle are Nos. 18, 39 and 37, respectively. Stop & Shop's and The Giant Co.'s parent company, Ahold Delhaize USA, is No. 10 on The PG 100.