Stater Bros. expands AI replenishment beyond stores
A regional Southern California grocer is extending the reach of artificial intelligence in its supply chain.
Stater Bros. Markets is building on a partnership it launched with Afresh in January 2025 which saw the grocer implement the AI-based Afresh store ordering solution across the produce departments in all of its 169 stores, following a successful pilot.
[READ MORE: Stater Bros. Markets AI-enables store ordering]
Stater Bros. will now extend AI-driven fresh replenishment beyond produce into additional fresh departments and upstream into distribution center forecasting. With this move, the grocer seeks to create a more unified approach to managing fresh inventory across the supply chain—from store ordering through distribution center buying.
As part of this initiative, Stater Bros. is implementing the Afresh DC Forecast solution to guide upstream procurement. Together, the grocer intends these deployments to enhance its existing business processes with a connected system that links real store demand directly to buying decisions, supporting the company's goal of delivering fresh, affordable food.
Results Stater Bros. reported from its initial Afresh Fresh Replenishment solution deployment in its produce department include:
- Sustained improvements in product availability and ordering accuracy.
- Significant reductions in food waste, setting a performance benchmark across fresh categories.
- Improved inventory efficiency, optimizing on-hand levels and freeing up working capital.
- Strong store-level adoption of Afresh's AI order recommendations.
"We've been impressed with Afresh's partnership with our teams," said Bertha Luna, executive VP, store operations, Stater Bros. Markets. "They took the time to earn trust, and the results speak for themselves — produce shrink is down, shelves are full, and our customers notice the difference. When teammates see a solution that supports their work, adoption follows naturally."
By reducing manual calculations and data mining across multiple tools, Stater Bros. is also giving its buyers more time to spend on the warehouse floor, which it says has enabled procurement teams to improve fill rates, ensure better in-stock conditions in stores, and deliver a more consistent customer shopping experience.
"Having spent my career in fresh produce, in both retail and sales and merchandising, I know firsthand the hours consumed by synthesizing data and relying on guesswork for critical fresh decisions," said Jacob Cadwallader, director of Produce, Stater Bros. Markets. "Afresh's interconnected system — coordinating decisions from the store to the DC — is the breakthrough we've needed to improve accuracy and efficiency. Automating forecasting allows our buying teams to stay laser-focused on supporting our stores, sharpen long-term purchasing decisions, and strengthen our commitment to delivering the quality our customers expect from us."
Based in San Bernardino, Calif., Stater Bros. Markets is the largest privately-owned supermarket chain in Southern California and operates nearly 170 stores.
