NEW YORK — Safeway Inc. has expanded its Just For U loyalty program to its Eastern Division and Denver, after launching it in the Portland, Ore., and Seattle markets in May.

Safeway Inc. has expanded its Just For U loyalty program to its Eastern Division and Denver, after launching it in the Portland, Ore., and Seattle markets in May.

The program delivers targeted savings directly to customers’ Safeway Club Card after they sign up, either online at Safeway.com or by accessing Just For U through a Safeway mobile app.

Under the program Safeway offers customers deals on items they buy most frequently as well as products in which they might be interested, with discounts of up to 10% or 20% beyond what is available by using the Safeway Club Card alone. Just For U members can also access hundreds of digital coupons, download personalized deals based on shopping history and view Club Card specials as well as create personalized shopping lists.

The program is a critical piece in Safeway’s strategy to spur sales growth, which has proven to be elusive for the supermarket operator. Development of Just For U began about two years ago and had been piloted in different markets before launch.

"Shoppers are in a constant quest to save money, and as the world becomes more digital and more mobile, one-on-one marketing will become the norm," chairman, president and chief executive officer Steve Burd told analysts in March. "And we think that Safeway, with its Just for U platform, will be on the leading edge of that change. We think we’re the only ones who really pull that off in this particular channel."

Burd noted that Safeway has had a loyalty card for 14 years, like most conventional supermarket chains, but added that the real challenge has been delivering a personalized offer. "The whole idea is to provide what consumers want, provide more relevance and cause them to be more loyal to Safeway," he said.