Case Study: Major Grocery Retailer empowers small suppliers through scalable hybrid training with OpenSesame

Regional Grocer delivers on commitment to empower their employees AND vendors

A regional grocery chain with more than 400 stores, known for prioritizing people, faced a new challenge after the pandemic: many of its small, local suppliers lacked basic retail and business skills (invoicing, forecasting, inventory management, etc.) needed to scale from farmers’ markets to supplying dozens of stores. The Supplier Diversity team identified this gap as a community service opportunity to help suppliers become sustainable, growth-ready businesses.

The grocer launched a pilot using OpenSesame content integrated into its existing learning platform—starting with 12 suppliers and a curated set of modules—then expanded into a hybrid program of roughly 50 courses (about half internal, half OpenSesame). The pilot saw rapid, enthusiastic adoption (participants completed all courses), generated demand across other communities, revealed additional training needs, and created a scalable path for broader professional development and supplier success.