Retailers like ShopRite can glean real-time inventory management from the platform offered by Simbe and its Tally robot.
Lynn Petrak|Senior Editor
Source: progressivegrocer.com, August 2023
Grocery co-op teams with Simbe Robotics to improve inventory and generate better location data
Following a successful pilot in more than 20 ShopRite stores, Wakefern Food Corp. is expanding the use of a robotic inventory solution from Simbe Robotics, Inc. The cooperative will add the technology to additional locations to help optimize inventory management, among other tasks.
As part of the greater rollout, Wakefern will use Simbe’s Tally robot in more places. The robot autonomously scans shelves of product using AI to identify out-of-stock, misplaced, or mispriced products and generate comprehensive product location data. According to Simbe, the platform can detect OOS items at more than 99% accuracy. Based on the data, Simbe delivers high-quality, real-time actionable insights to drive improved store operations.
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“Tally has proven to be the ideal shelf-intelligence solution for our members as it’s been able to roll right into our technology ecosystem, sending real-time shelf condition data directly to retail associates’ handheld devices,” said Charles J. McWeeney, VP, technology, innovation and strategy at Wakefern. “With timely, consistent, and accurate product data from Tally, our in-store mobile application presents a prioritized aisle by aisle inventory worklist to the store associates, ensuring they invest their time in the most meaningful and valuable services for our customers.”
Brad Bogolea, co-founder and CEO of Simbe, said that the expansion at Wakefern shows that the quick and seamless solution is a win for retailers and shoppers. “With our business intelligence solution, Wakefern has real-time visibility into shelf health at a frequency and fidelity that cannot be found anywhere else on the market,” he remarked. “This consistent access to deep, precise insights has empowered Wakefern and its members’ store teams to further improve the exceptional shopping experience their customers expect by keeping shelves fully stocked. We look forward to continuing to enhance the experience for store teams and shoppers alike.”
Earlier this summer, Simbe announced that it raised $28 million in Series B funding, led by the investor Eclipse.
ShopRite has nearly 280 supermarkets located throughout New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland. The company is the registered trademark of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative based in Keasbey, N.J., and the largest supermarket cooperative in the United States. Some of its other independently owned and operated banners include Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage and Fairway Market. Together with its member companies, Wakefern employs nearly 80,000 people. The company is No. 29 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 listing of North America’s top food and consumables retailers in North America.
