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Rite Aid unveils new HQ for remote-first workforce

Rite Aid’s new Philadelphia headquarters is built around a remote-first workplace model that emphasizes flexibility for employees and is designed for in-person collaboration and company gatherings, rather than office spaces.

Rite Aid has a new hometown — and a new approach to its corporate workforce. The company is unveiling its new Philadelphia enterprise headquarters, which Rite Aid executive said is built around a reimagined, remote-first workplace model that emphasizes flexibility for employees and is designed for in-person collaboration and company gatherings, rather than office spaces. 

The new headquarters, located in Philadelphia’s Navy Yard district, was announced by CEO Heyward Donigan Tuesday morning to the company’s corporate employees in a video. Rite Aid said the space is meant to offer space for teams across the company’s businesses to meet, collaborate and work with clients and partners. The company also is planning regional collaboration centers across the country to allow for Rite Aid teams to come together for in-person meetings, training, development and more. 

[Read more: Rite Aid’s Elixir adds COO]

“This announcement signals the start of a bright new day at Rite Aid. We’re changing our business from the inside out, and our reimagined workplace is the latest exciting step toward the future of this company,” said Rite Aid CEO Heyward Donigan. “We believe in remote work, and as we lean into it for the long term, we are investing in a physical footprint that will facilitate its best version. We’ve heard directly from our associates that teams want and need to meet in-person, and we think we’ve found the right balance between the flexibility of remote work and the power of on-site collaboration.”

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Rite Aid said its employees, who have been working remotely since the beginning of the pandemic, had a voice in the new workplace model , with an internal survey finding that most corporate employees preferred working from home based on better flexibility, work-life balance and productivity.

The survey also found that employees want the opportunity to meet in person. Given this, Rite Aid is formalizing its work-from-home approach with new policies, new technology, and resources and spaces to support collaboration. One of these hubs is set to be located in central Pennsylvania, near Rite Aid's former Camp Hill headquarters. 

[Read more: Rite Aid kicks off back-to-school COVID-19 testing program in New York State]

“This transformation of our workforce brings Rite Aid into the modern era of work. We can recruit the best talent regardless of their location, and we can give our corporate associates the freedom and flexibility that today’s workers crave,” COO Jim Peters said. “Our new headquarters and collaboration centers will have a unifying effect on our enterprise and serve as an important space for our teams to be together when needed. I think it’s especially meaningful that these changes were shaped by our associates, whose input we solicited along the way — this approach aligns with one of our core values: get there together.”
 

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