Congrats to our Innovation Award Winners

"Easy" seemed to be the theme that spanned the solutions of Progressive Grocer TECH’s second annual Innovation Award winners. Geissler’s developed an online platform from which it could centrally deploy all of its multimedia initiatives; wholesaler Laurel Grocery deployed a network appliance that reduced the efforts needed to protect its infrastructure from outside attacks; Longo's new iPhone app for it's Grocery Gateway e-commerce site was so easy to use Apple named it one of the Best Apps of 2012; and Rollin’ Oats new computer-assisted ordering system makes accurate ordering and store-level inventory a snap.

But while these solutions made lives easier for users, none was easy from the point of implementation, and often had to overcome hurdles such as legacy systems, cost, and what is usually the toughest challenge – change management. Still, each of this year’s winners managed to fight through these challenges and generated real ROI with their solutions.  And what’s more, they’ve pushed the envelope and shine as examples for other retailers to follow.

The winners will be published in the January edition of PG TECH, and awards will be presented at the Progressive Grocer booth during the National Retail Federation show January 13-15 in New York.

The winners are:

Retailer: Geissler’s Supermarkets
Vendor: Bozzuto’s Retail Technology Solutions and ShoptoCook, Inc.
Category: Online

Retailer: Laurel Grocery Company (Wholesaler and retailer)
Vendor/Product: TechGuard PoliWall ThreatBlocker Technology
Category: Enterprise

Retailer: Longo’s/Grocery Gateway
Vendor: Unata
Category: Mobile

Retailer: Rollin’ Oats Market & Café
Vendor: ECR Software Corp.’s DemandFill auto-replenishment coupled with ECRS Gateway.
Category: In-Store

Congratulations to our winners, and a Happy New Year to all!