ShopRite parent expands inventory robots to more stores
Grocery co-op Wakefern Food Corp. is bringing automated shelf-scanning robots to more locations of its ShopRite banner.
ShopRite, a banner of retailer-owned grocery co-op Wakefern Food Corp., began piloting Simbe Robotics autonomous shelf-scanning “Tally” robots at 20 stores in spring 2022 and widened the scope of its Tally rollout in August 2023.
[READ MORE: ShopRite rolls out inventory robots to more stores]
Now, Wakefern member Inserra Supermarkets, which owns and operates 23 ShopRite stores, and Shop-Rite Supermarkets, Inc. (SRS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wakefern that operates 37 ShopRite stores in New York and New Jersey, are implementing Tally.
Tally robots autonomously roam store aisles up to three times per day, leveraging computer vision technology to scan products to ensure they are in-stock, in the correct location, and accurately priced on the sales floor.
After a successful four-month pilot using Tally for inventory tracking, SRS reported that it dramatically improved inventory operations by reducing low and out-of-stocks, and is now bringing Tally to all of its stores.
"Because Tally alerts us each time there is a low-stock item or misplaced product on shelves, our retail teams are able to better focus on customers and the guest experience," said Michael Schoendorf, VP of operations at SRS.
Inserra Supermarkets also recently expanded Simbe’s technology to all its ShopRite locations. One of the first Wakefern members to implement Tally in-store, Inserra has steadily grown its fleet and enhanced store inventory operations.
"Our team loves that Tally allows them to be more effective and focus more directly on caring for our customers," said Jim Dorey, President and COO of Inserra Supermarkets. "We have thousands of products across our aisles, and Tally helps us make sure we are staying in stock on the items our customers want."
To date, nearly 70 ShopRite stores have implemented Tally.
"Wakefern's success is a testament to their dedication to excellence and forward-thinking innovation, using data and capabilities that only Simbe provides to power best-in-class experiences for store teams and shoppers," said Brad Bogolea, co-founder and CEO of Simbe. "Once retailers know what’s happening inside of stores, they can optimize those locations in ways that fundamentally change their operating model and cost structure. We’re thrilled to continue growing our team and partnership with Wakefern, an exciting milestone on our journey to improve visibility across the retail ecosystem."
Founded in 1946, Wakefern Food Corp. is the the largest retailer-owned cooperative in the U.S. and includes nearly 50 member families who independently own and operate hundreds of supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage, and Fairway Market banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.
