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BI-LO, LLC recently completed the implementation of SoftGrocer and ChainTrack HQ price- and item-management software from SofTechnics, Akron, Ohio. ChainTrack HQ will help the Greenville, S.C.-based chain automate its pricing process. Meanwhile, SoftGrocer is replacing BI-LO’s legacy receiving and in-store price-management systems. This move will support the chain’s POS, shelf-label printing and scale-management applications. DSD receiving will also be added to the mix to improve the speed and accuracy of BI-LO’s receiving process.

Penn Traffic Co. renewed its license for DemandTec’s consumer-centric merchandising solution. Penn Traffic will also add the San Carlos, Calif.-based vendor’s sales and marketing software. By completing the implementation of the DemandTec Price module later this year, Penn Traffic plans to grow margins within selected store-product categories. The chain is also currently testing DemandTec Promotion to more efficiently manage promotions with vendor partners and improve the effectiveness of each executed campaign. The grocer plans to launch the module this month.

Tesco, Cheshunt, England, recently earned the Retail Week Customer Service Initiative of the Year award for its efforts to streamline the checkout experience. The Retail Week Awards are called the most prestigious awards ceremony within the U.K. retail industry.

Using SMARTLANE queue-busting camera technology, developed by IRISYS, Tesco is slashing the time shoppers wait on line to check out. Infrared sensors mounted above checkout lanes detect the number and behavior of customer groups at each checkstand.

The sensors calculate the average queue length, average wait time and overall store performance against Tesco’s One-In-Front (OIF) customer-service benchmarks. The retailer’s management team uses this data to deploy staff.

By keeping queue waiting time to a minimum, Tesco is experiencing more throughput at the front end, and boosting in-store profits, according to Sir Terry Leahy, CEO of Tesco.

Oil, gas and petrochemical company BP will run more than 27,000 of its petrol stations, convenience stores and quick-service restaurants across 18 countries with the help of StorePoint store and fuel software applications from Retalix.

StorePoint will replace the company’s disparate, and in some cases, outdated systems and provide a consistent, global framework across BP’s entire retail operation, helping the company reduce its operating costs.

The company began deploying the solution to stores in Australia in February. All BP company-owned retail stores across the globe will adopt the solution within three years.