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SpartanNash Advancing Retail Innovation with In-Store Robotics

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SpartanNash plans to expand the use of Simbe's autonomous inventory robot Tally in 60 additional company-operated stores after a successful pilot. The move aims to enhance store guest and associate experiences by providing real-time inventory insights, ensuring items are stocked, fresh, and competitively priced. Simbe's Store Intelligence platform will empower associates to focus on guest-facing work while optimizing product stocking and merchandising.
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The expansion of Simbe's Tally robots into 60 additional SpartanNash stores is a strategic move that reflects the growing trend in retail automation. This deployment is expected to streamline inventory management, a traditionally labor-intensive and error-prone process. By leveraging autonomous robots for real-time inventory tracking, SpartanNash is likely to achieve greater operational efficiency and accuracy in stock levels, which can lead to improved customer satisfaction due to better product availability and pricing strategies.

From a market research perspective, the integration of advanced technologies like Tally could enhance SpartanNash's competitive edge in the retail sector. It may also signal a shift in the labor dynamics within the company, as employees are redeployed from inventory tasks to more customer-focused roles, potentially improving the overall shopping experience. This tech-forward approach could attract tech-savvy consumers and position SpartanNash favorably among investors who value innovation and efficiency in retail operations.

Financially, the adoption of Tally robots represents a capital investment with the potential for a significant return through reduced labor costs and enhanced inventory accuracy. The initial success of the pilot program suggests that the expanded rollout could lead to measurable improvements in inventory turnover rates and reduced out-of-stock scenarios, which are critical metrics that impact revenue and profitability in the retail industry.

Investors will likely monitor the financial performance following this technology implementation closely, looking for improvements in gross margin and operating expenses as indicators of the success of the investment. The scalability of the Tally solution may also allow for future expansions without proportional increases in costs, potentially improving SpartanNash's long-term financial sustainability.

The adoption of Simbe's Tally robots is indicative of the broader digital transformation within the retail industry. Tally's Store Intelligence platform is at the forefront of this change, offering data-driven insights that facilitate smarter stocking and merchandising decisions. The technology's ability to integrate with e-commerce fulfillment processes is particularly noteworthy, as it aligns with the growing consumer demand for seamless online and offline shopping experiences.

Understanding the technical capabilities of Tally, such as its real-time data collection and analytics, is crucial for evaluating its potential impact on SpartanNash's operations. The precision and speed of inventory management enabled by such autonomous solutions can significantly reduce the incidence of stock discrepancies, price inaccuracies and ultimately, customer dissatisfaction. This technology not only supports current retail operations but also lays the groundwork for future advancements in areas such as predictive analytics and machine learning for inventory optimization.

After a successful pilot, SpartanNash will expand the use of Simbe's autonomous inventory robot at 60 additional store locations

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Feb. 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Food solutions company SpartanNash (the "Company") (Nasdaq: SPTN) today announced plans to implement Simbe's autonomous inventory robot Tally in 60 additional Company-operated stores across the Midwest. This opportunity to generate actionable, real-time inventory insights represents SpartanNash's continued investment in technology to enhance the store guest and Associate experiences.

"We first piloted Tally in 15 stores, and the success of that launch motivated us to expand Tally across more locations to help Associates save time in inventory tracking and spend more time on the floor serving our store guests," said SpartanNash Executive Vice President, Corporate Retail Tom Swanson. "The real-time data intelligence Tally provides helps ensure our store guests' favorite items always stay fresh, are adequately stocked and priced competitively, helping us deliver the ingredients for a better life."

Simbe's Store Intelligence platform informs product stocking, ordering, merchandising, and e-commerce fulfillment with real-time inventory insights across every store area. This data precision empowers Associates to ensure items are available for store guests with accurate location and price, while freeing up their time for more engaging, guest-facing work. As part of SpartanNash's commitment to customer-focused innovation, this Tally expansion follows the Company's investment in other food technology solutions Upshop Magic™ and Flashfood. 

"We're always impressed with how SpartanNash embraces innovative technologies," said Brad Bogolea, CEO of Simbe. "In retail's fast-paced environment, every data point matters. The expansion of our solution is a testament to their relentless focus on strengthening operations, supporting Associates, and delivering an optimal shopping experience. Working with the SpartanNash team is incredibly rewarding, and we can't wait to see the partnership grow from here."    

About SpartanNash
SpartanNash (Nasdaq: SPTN) is a food solutions company that delivers the ingredients for a better life. Committed to fostering a People First culture, the SpartanNash family of Associates is 17,500 and growing. SpartanNash operates two complementary business segments – food wholesale and grocery retail. Its global supply chain network serves wholesale customers that include independent and chain grocers, national retail brands, e-commerce platforms, and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges. The Company distributes products for every aisle in the grocery store, from fresh produce to household goods to its OwnBrands, which include the Our Family® portfolio of products. On the retail side, SpartanNash operates 144 brick-and-mortar grocery stores, primarily under the banners of Family Fare, Martin's Super Markets and D&W Fresh Market, in addition to dozens of pharmacies and fuel centers. Leveraging insights and solutions across its segments, SpartanNash offers a full suite of support services for independent grocers. For more information, visit spartannash.com.

About Simbe
Simbe is the global leader in Store Intelligence™ solutions that provide unprecedented visibility and real-time insights to increase retailer performance. Simbe combines cutting-edge AI and robotics to power business-critical intelligence that improves inventory management and streamlines operations, while empowering retailers to better support store associates and elevate shoppers' experience. Simbe's comprehensive platform includes the world's first autonomous, item-scanning robot, Tally, which leverages best-in-class computer vision to identify exact product location, out-of-stocks, and pricing & promotion information with 99% accuracy. Simbe works with major worldwide brands across the US, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.simberobotics.com.

CONTACT: 
Adrienne Chance 
SVP, Communications
SpartanNash
press@spartannash.com  

Caitlin Allen
SVP, Marketing
Simbe Robotics
caitlin.allen@simberobotics.com

Cision View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spartannash-advancing-retail-innovation-with-in-store-robotics-302060667.html

SOURCE SpartanNash

FAQ

How many additional store locations will SpartanNash implement Simbe's autonomous inventory robot Tally in?

SpartanNash plans to implement Simbe's autonomous inventory robot Tally in 60 additional company-operated stores.

What are the benefits of using Simbe's autonomous inventory robot Tally according to SpartanNash?

SpartanNash aims to enhance store guest and associate experiences by providing real-time inventory insights, ensuring items are stocked, fresh, and competitively priced.

What does Simbe's Store Intelligence platform empower associates to do?

Simbe's Store Intelligence platform empowers associates to focus on guest-facing work while optimizing product stocking and merchandising.

SpartanNash Company

NASDAQ:SPTN

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673.11M
34.03M
1.36%
86.53%
3.82%
Packaged Frozen Food Merchant Wholesalers
Wholesale Trade
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United States of America
GRAND RAPIDS

About SPTN

our history of serving the independent grocer dates back 125 years when nash finch first distributed fresh fruit; soon after, spartan stores got its start as grand rapids wholesale company. ever since then, locally owned and operated supermarkets have been our best customers – that’s something we’re proud of and continue to build upon every day. today, here’s what spartannash looks like: • a fortune 500 company with over $7.9 billion in revenue and over 16,000 associates • the second largest publicly traded food distributor in the u.s. • the largest food distributor in terms of revenue, serving 172 military commissaries and over 400 military exchanges in the u.s. alone • operate 21 wholesale distribution centers in 44 states • own and operate 159 supermarkets, 34 fuel centers, and partner with 2,100 independent grocers • market and distribute an extensive line of private brands, including over 8,600 grocery, fresh, general merchandise, health and beauty, and non-food items