Associated Grocers streamlines entire purchasing process

A wholesale distributor for independent grocers is performing demand forecasting, order management, and forward buying with a single platform.

Associated Grocers Inc. has selected the Herlitz Inventory Management Himpact solution as its new purchasing system. Prior to selecting Himpact, Associated Grocers developed a feature scorecard when evaluating various solutions with perishables being weighted heavily. 

The company then underwent a two-day, deep-dive demo of Himpact where all of its relevant demand data, including vendors, items, purchase orders, daily demand history by customer, and promotions, had been updated to enable a customized presentation in which actual results were shown in real-time. Based on results of the demo, Associated Grocers selected the solution to replace its legacy purchasing technology.

"The Himpact solution and the Herlitz team really impressed us," said Carl Marks, chief administrative officer at Associated Grocers. "Not only was their expediency with loading our data impressive, but also their openness to listen to our requirements and adapt their solution, even while in the demo phase. These and other considerations were essential to our decision. Another key point was that Himpact has a full purchase order management module; whereas other solutions do not."

Based in Baton Rouge, La., Associated Grocers Inc. is a full-service wholesale distributor to more than 200 independent retailers across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.