The Fresh Market

Ingredients for Effective Frontline Workforce Learning

The Fresh Market is a leading national grocery retailer with more than 168 locations in 22
states. It is an award-winning destination for hand-picked produce, house-cut meat, premium
baked goods, restaurant-quality precooked meals, and curated specialty foods.

Founded in 1982 by Ray and Beverly Berry, The Fresh Market (TFM) was inspired by Europe’s
vibrant food markets and offers shoppers a personalized experience. The key to the grocery
chain’s success lies in its commitment to providing an exceptional guest experience through
carefully curated product offerings, a creative and welcoming environment, and a commitment to
impeccable hospitality. As a result of this nuanced approach to guest experience, The Fresh
Market was recognized as one of USA Today’s Best Customer Service Companies in America
in 2025.

Like many retailers, the company faced significant challenges in training its diverse mobile
workforce. TFM’s Learning and Development (L&D) team knew they required a solution that
would address the unique needs of a frontline retail environment and help them uphold TFM’s
Code of Conduct, which includes the values of passion, excellence, teamwork, and hospitality.

Mobile Training for Frontline Team Members

Training thousands of employees across hundreds of locations, especially when most are
frontline “deskless workers,” presented a challenge. Retail work can be unpredictable and
demands a flexible learning approach that allows employees to pause when customer demands
increase, then pick up where they left off when time permits.

TFM wanted a flexible learning management system (LMS) with mobile access to learning
content when and where team members need it. Mobile training is crucial for frontline workers
who spend most of their time on the go throughout the store. It is instrumental to driving
adoption and engagement with the platform across all levels of the organization.

With Schoox, the company offers robust training and development opportunities via the TFM
Learning Academy mobile app. This mobile approach to learning aligns perfectly with the
preferences and habits of a modern frontline workforce. The Schoox LMS automatically saves
training progress, enabling users to switch between devices mid-course, delivering a seamless
learning experience.

Welcome to the Team: Set New Hires Up for Success

TFM recognized an opportunity to enhance its employee onboarding experience. A more
standardized process was needed across all stores to guarantee every Team Member received
the same, high-quality onboarding experience.

Enhanced onboarding
experiences prepare employees
for success starting
from day one.

Now, powered by Schoox, TFM’s onboarding strategy is consistently implemented across the
board and better-cultivates a culture of continuous learning with training modules and skill-
building exercises.

Stocking up on Savings

Uploading and sharing content in the company’s legacy LMS was time-consuming and
cumbersome, making it harder for the L&D team to create and deliver training materials
effectively. The old system’s limitations also made it difficult to tailor learning experiences for
diverse groups of learners.

Now, TFM’s L&D staff can easily upload and organize many types of content. Drag-and-drop
functionality allows them to create courses efficiently. Learning content is now fully digital, with
on-the-job training components associated with courses that require a blended approach.

Schoox unifies in-person and online training, simplifies record-keeping, and improves overall
training consistency. By streamlining tedious tasks that previously required hours of manual
work, the L&D team can focus on strategic initiatives. This automation frees them to focus on
strategy and quickly respond to training needs across locations, resulting in cost savings.

The platform’s user permissions mirror TFM’s organizational hierarchy, ensuring control over
who can access what. Built-in assessment tools measure how well employees absorb and apply their training. The system integrates smoothly with other retail and HR software, while meeting industry compliance standards. Training can be automatically assigned based on factors like job role and store location, ensuring employees receive the learning they need.

Mitigating Safety and Compliance

Retailers must navigate complex safety regulations at all levels, from local and state to federal.
Meeting requirements, from food safety protocols to equipment handling standards, is critical to
avoid penalties. Proper documentation and consistent compliance are essential to protect the
business and its customers.

Since their previous LMS was cumbersome, safety and compliance trainings were more difficult
than they needed to be. Today, TFM leverages Schoox, along with hands-on learning, to
enhance safety and compliance training programs. Schoox tracks all certifications, training
completions, and compliance verifications, with detailed documentation for audits and
inspections. Managers and supervisors can also track training progress and completion rates,
allowing them to identify compliance gaps quickly.

Harvesting talent: boosting team member retention

In the competitive retail sector, employee retention is a challenge. TFM knew the path forward
was to invest in career development and growth opportunities to retain talent and create
meaningful career trajectories

With the help of Schoox, TFM offers a specialized learning path for managers with custom-
curated content and interactive training opportunities to hone advanced skills. Schoox ties
learning to individualized professional development plans, helping employees grow within the
organization.

From Farm to Future: Cultivating a Partnership for Growth

The Fresh Market needed more than a technology solution—they sought a true partner who
understood retail’s unique challenges and could transform frontline workforce obstacles into
growth opportunities. They found this partner in Schoox, whose shared values of excellence and
teamwork are a foundation for lasting success.

Schoox helps The Fresh Market create more dynamic, responsive, and compelling learning
experiences to strengthen employee skills, improve operational efficiency, enhance the
customer experience, and contribute to the enterprise’s continued success in the competitive
grocery retail sector.