The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company – better known as A&P – is the oldest grocery retailer in the United States and one of the largest. The company opened the nation’s first supermarket in 1936 and has been a leader in innovative concepts that have radically improved and changed the way consumers shop. Today, hundreds of stores across multiple states in the Northeast fall under its family of supermarkets and include A&P, The Food Emporium, Pathmark, SuperFresh, Best Cellars, Waldbaum’s and Food Basics retail banners.
In a retail environment, the security system is critical for loss prevention and liability management. Video surveillance systems with strategically placed cameras, reliable alarm technology and a durable physical locking solution can help retailers fight back by improving the effectiveness of loss prevention capabilities without increasing the number of loss prevention staff. Service and maintenance of the A&P system, which can include up to 200 calls per month, is critical in order to maintain active functionality. The program also requires a specific set of procedures such as stocking of spare parts on service vans to meet operational needs of the stores both on an individual basis and from a corporate perspective. For security and risk management personnel industry-wide, the challenge has been to find a video and security technology service provider with reasonable rates and qualified technicians who can meet these parameters and make decisions with the customer’s best interest in mind.
NAV’s commitment to high quality service, prompt response times and understanding of the ways in which a comprehensive security technology solution could impact The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company’s business objectives earned them this business. The account management team worked with A&P leadership to allocate the correct number of resources and develop a specific set of procedures to meet A&P’s operational needs. To further support the client, NAV appointed an Account Manager to be a single point of contact with a team of dedicated service technicians and trucks in the field that are specifically dedicated to A&P and overlaid geographically with the stores’ locations. Additionally, the use of service software enables A&P and NAV to continually track the status of open calls, and the companies work in unison to be as efficient as possible. NAV also carries inventory of critical components to ensure timely response and resolution of all issues. As a true partner with A&P, NAV brings the full resources of their organization to the client. The service group acts with a sense of urgency and consistently communicates with the A&P management team while the sales group offers multiple solutions to complex issues.
