Wakefern Food Corp. expands use of item-scanning robot

Store intelligence solutions provider Simbe says it plans to expand its work with retailer-owned supermarket cooperative Wakefern Food Corp.

The latest cooperative organizations to add Simbe’s technology to stores include Wakefern member Inserra Supermarkets, which owns and operates 23 ShopRite stores, and Shop-Rite Supermarkets Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wakefern that operates 37 ShopRite stores in New York and New Jersey, according to a news release. Both Inserra Supermarkets and Shop-Rite Supermarkets are implementing Tally’s artificial intelligence-powered solution. Tally, an autonomous item-scanning robot, looks for out-of-stocks and misplaced items and helps retail teams focus more on customers and the customer experience, Simbe says.

After a four-month pilot using Tally for inventory tracking, Shop-Rite Supermarkets dramatically improved inventory operations by reducing low and out-of-stocks and is now bringing Tally to all of its stores, the release said.

“Because Tally alerts us each time there is a low-stock item or misplaced product on shelves, our retail teams can better focus on customers and the guest experience,” said Michael Schoendorf, vice president of operations for Shop-Rite Supermarkets.

Inserra Supermarkets also recently expanded Simbe’s technology to all its ShopRite locations, the company said. 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, Inserra Supermarkets president and chief operating officer. "We have thousands of products across our aisles, and Tally helps us ensure we stay in stock on the items our customers want,”

By working with Simbe, retailers gain insights into inventory and operations, driving excellence, accuracy and optimization across all channels, the release said. Simbe operates in three continents globally and powers a large number of retail banners in the U.S., supplying automated shelf intelligence to retailers like BJ’s Wholesale Club, Schnuck Markets and other Wakefern members. To date, nearly 70 ShopRite stores have implemented Tally.

Simbe said its commitment to its strategic partnership with Wakefern has also fueled the hiring of Senior Director of Sales Ben Saldinger, who will apply his previous experience working at a Wakefern vendor to serve as a dedicated advocate for Wakefern owner groups.

“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,” Simbe co-founder and CEO Brad Bogolea said. “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.”