THOMASVILLE, Ga., April 9,
2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE: FLO), producer
of Nature's Own, Wonder, Tastykake, Dave's
Killer Bread, and other bakery foods, today announced that it
has paid approximately $5.6 million
in appreciation bonuses to 11,757 eligible hourly and nonexempt
employees, leased labor, and contract workers. The bonus is a
recognition of the extraordinary efforts of these workers during
the COVID-19 pandemic as the company's 46 bakeries operate non-stop
to produce bakery foods. The appreciation bonuses, $500 for full-time workers and $250 for part-time, are in addition to the
company's annual bonus program, participated in by all Flowers
employees. The company also has implemented emergency COVID-19
leave and short-term disability policies for its 9,700
employees.
"I could not be prouder of our team and this special bonus
recognizes all those who are literally on the front line – in
baking, engineering, and shipping, those who handle sanitation and
distribution, and those who provide other vital support," said
Ryals McMullian, president and CEO. "We take our responsibility to
help feed America to heart and Flowers team members are showing
that every day with passion and courage. On behalf of our company
and the board, I thank them for their hard work and commitment,
especially during this time of uncertainty."
Actions to Support Employee and Independent Distributor
Wellness and Safety
Flowers Foods has taken several proactive steps at all of its
facilities to help safeguard the wellness of its team members and
the independent distributor partners that serve the market. These
include:
- Enhancing daily sanitation and cleaning of commonly used areas
and frequently touched surfaces in bakeries, warehouses, business
offices and resale stores;
- Restricted admittance of non-essential, non-business-critical
visitors to bakeries, warehouses, and offices;
- Daily wellness screening of team members at all bakeries and
required self-screening and reporting at other locations;
- Suspension of all non-essential business travel and meeting
attendance; and
- Implementation of remote work for business office team
members
"I want to thank our independent distributor partners who have
taken steps to enhance the wellness and safety practices of their
businesses," McMullian continued. "This is an unprecedented time
during which we've experienced a significant surge in food demand.
We appreciate our distributor partners helping us keep the market
supplied with fresh bakery products."
McMullian added, "Our supply chain is strong and we have a
number of contingency plans in place should they be necessary. We
are confident we will continue providing our customers and
consumers with the bakery foods they need as we all manage through
the pandemic."
About Flowers Foods
Headquartered in Thomasville,
Ga., Flowers Foods, Inc. (NYSE: FLO) is one of the largest
producers of packaged bakery foods in the
United States with 2019 sales of $4.1
billion. Flowers operates bakeries across the country that
produce a wide range of bakery products. Among the company's top
brands are Nature's Own, Dave's Killer Bread,
Wonder, and Tastykake. Learn more at
www.flowersfoods.com.
FLO-CORP
Forward-Looking Statements
Statements contained in this press release that are not
historical facts are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking
statements relate to current expectations regarding our future
financial condition, performance and results of operations, planned
capital expenditures, long-term objectives of management, supply
and demand, pricing trends and market forces, and integration plans
and expected benefits of transactions and are often identified by
the use of words and phrases such as "anticipate," "believe,"
"continue," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan,"
"predict," "project," "should," "will," "would," "is likely to,"
"is expected to" or "will continue," or the negative of these terms
or other comparable terminology. All forward-looking statements are
subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results
to differ from those projected. Other factors that may cause actual
results to differ from the forward-looking statements contained in
this release and that may affect the company's prospects in general
include, but are not limited to, (a) general economic and business
conditions and the competitive conditions in the baked foods
industry, including promotional and price competition, (b) changes
in consumer demand for our products, including changes in consumer
behavior, trends and preferences, including health and whole grain
trends, and the movement toward more inexpensive store-branded
products, (c) the success of productivity improvements and new
product introductions, (d) a significant reduction in business with
any of our major customers including a reduction from adverse
developments in any of our customer's business, (e) fluctuations in
commodity pricing, (f) energy and raw material costs and
availability and hedging and counterparty risk, (g) our ability to
fully integrate recent acquisitions into our business, (h) our
ability to achieve cash flow from capital expenditures and
acquisitions and the availability of new acquisitions that build
shareholder value, (i) our ability to successfully implement our
business strategies, including those strategies the company has
initiated under Project Centennial, which may involve, among other
things, the integration of recent acquisitions or the acquisition
or disposition of assets at presently targeted values, the
deployment of new systems and technology and an enhanced
organizational structure, (j) consolidation within the baking
industry and related industries, (k) disruptions in our
direct-store delivery system, including litigation or an adverse
ruling from a court or regulatory or government body that could
affect the independent contractor classification of our independent
distributors, (l) increasing legal complexity and legal proceedings
that we are or may become subject to, (m) product recalls or safety
concerns related to our products, and (n) the failure of our
information technology systems to perform adequately, including any
interruptions, intrusions or security breaches of such systems. The
foregoing list of important factors does not include all such
factors, nor necessarily present them in order of importance. In
addition, you should consult other public disclosures made by the
company, including the risk factors included in our most recently
filed Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q
filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and
disclosures made in other filings with the SEC and company press
releases, for other factors that may cause actual results to differ
materially from those projected by the company. We caution you not
to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, as they
speak only as of the date made and are inherently uncertain. The
company undertakes no obligation to publicly revise or update such
statements, except as required by law.
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SOURCE Flowers Foods, Inc.