Intermarché and Netto Team With Symphony RetailAI
Symphony RetailAI, a global provider of integrated artificial intelligence-enabled marketing, merchandising and supply chain solutions for fast-moving consumer packaged goods retailers and manufacturers, has signed a significant agreement with European grocery banners Intermarché and Netto, to help them boost their performance throughout the supply chain.
The vendor is “entering into a strategic partnership that resulted from an 18-month collaboration and a detailed analysis of our capacity to support and accelerate the digital transformation of Intermarché and Netto,” noted Arnaud Gauthier, president, CCO, International at Dallas-based Symphony RetailAI. “We are now equipping Intermarché and Netto with the ability to address key end-to-end capabilities that span all areas of their retail enterprise, including upstream and downstream activities along the commercial and logistics value chain.”
Operating as both manufacturers and retailers, Intermarché, Netto and their networks have plentiful data from production to sale. Symphony RetailAI’s AI-based solutions will permit a 360-degree view of this data, leveraging it much more efficiently, and driving all aspects of the supply chain with greater agility.
“You have to be able to anticipate the precise expectations of each customer and the exact needs of each point of sale in order to meet demand and to deliver maximum fluidity and reliability,” observed Jean-Michel Balaguer, STIME president, CTO of Groupement Les Mousquetaires, Intermarché entrepreneur, and Région Centre Est administrator. “It is essential to manage the supply chain from end to end, with great flexibility and responsiveness. This is exactly what the AI-based technologies from Symphony RetailAI bring us. We will be able to accelerate our strategic transformation by unifying purchasing, finance, replenishment and logistics processes, considering customer preferences across a common platform. The retail business expertise and long-term vision of Symphony RetailAI convinced us that it is the right partner to support us in this vast transformation project.”
The large-scale project includes optimization of inventory and replenishment across the value chain; improved forecasting accuracy, including promotional demand; increased supplier collaboration; and enhanced store productivity, freeing up store associates to better serve customers.
With 1,832 stores across France in four store formats, Intermarché has a unique model of “Producers and Merchants” and is the second-largest independent distributor in France. Intermarché and Netto, which operates 295 stores in the nation, are banners of the Groupement Les Mousquetaires, based in Bondoufle, France.
