FairPrice is the first supermarket in Singapore to receive the certification.

FairPrice Xtra, the hypermarkets under NTUC FairPrice (FairPrice) group, has received the Businesses for Families Mark from the Businesses for Families Council (BFC), a council supported and resourced by the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS). FairPrice is the first supermarket brand in Singapore to receive this certification, which recognises companies that have implemented initiatives to cater to the specific needs of families.

On this service milestone, Mr Seah Kian Peng, CEO (Singapore), NTUC FairPrice, said, “FairPrice Xtra hypermarkets are aimed at providing family-friendly options to customers. The Businesses for Families Mark serves as a timely validation of our efforts as we continue to offer customers greater access to our hypermarkets, having recently launched our newest FairPrice Xtra at nex mall earlier this year. This certification has given us greater insights on better serving our customers and is a step forward in our efforts to make FairPrice a shopping destination for the family.”

The Businesses for Families Mark certification is administered by Singapore Businesses for Families Council and evaluates companies in three main areas – company strategy, service and infrastructure. Some of FairPrice Xtra’s family-friendly practices include:

• Special trolleys fitted with baby seats, dedicated baby lanes offering baby-related products, rest areas for elderly shoppers and designated checkout counters for handicapped shoppers are amongst the different service options offered at FairPrice Xtra.
• Special family-size promotional deals are offered exclusively at FairPrice Xtra
• Regular family-oriented activities, games and contests. For example, it recently held a Breadwinners photo competition for its Facebook fans.
• 2% discounts for seniors on Tuesdays to encourage family shopping at all FairPrice stores.
• Wider aisles, rest areas and snack corners.
• Locations concentrated in the heartlands to be closer to families and their shopping needs.

The FairPrice Xtra concept was first launched in 2006 with the opening of FairPrice Xtra at Ang Mo Kio Hub. The other FairPrice Xtra stores are located at Hougang Point, Jurong Point and Nex Mall. FairPrice plans to open another two FairPrice Xtra hypermarkets in Singapore by 2013 to provide greater access to customers throughout the island.

Other Service Recognitions

In March 2011, FairPrice also received the Singapore Service Class (S-Class) Certification by SPRING Singapore. The S-Class certification is a national recognition for organisations that have achieved service excellence, based on an assessment of their management systems and processes.

Apart from this, the National Excellent Service Awards (EXSA) by SPRING Singapore has also recognised the efforts of service staff at FairPrice for the past four years. Last year, FairPrice received the most number of awards with 319 staff receiving awards under the retail category.

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About the Business For Families Mark

The Businesses for Families Mark is a national accreditation programme. Businesses that meet specific standards relating to their Strategy, Service, Infrastructure and Business Outcomes (Results) will be awarded the Mark. The assessment process includes a guided self-assessment, on-site verification of Businesses for Families practice and observation and interviews with selected staff in the organisation. As part of the Businesses for Families community, businesses can learn from and benchmark their family-friendly measures against the best.