SpartanNash Enhances Produce Departments With Afresh
Food solutions company SpartanNash has joined forces with fresh food technology company Afresh Technologies to pilot the Afresh platform, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered predictive ordering and inventory management solution, at 10 Grand Rapids, Mich.-area Family Fare grocery stores.
“Our partnership with Afresh will help SpartanNash deliver fresh produce to our store guests while also minimizing food waste, which is a key focus area for our company’s ESG efforts,” said SpartanNash Chief Merchandising Officer Bennett Morgan. “Leveraging the strength of artificial intelligence and digital workflow will provide our associates with insights to create solutions that benefit our corporate retail store guests.”
Afresh gives SpartanNash’s fresh department managers easy-to-use ordering tools – powered by real-time insights – to facilitate fresh ordering decisions. The platform’s leverage the expertise of associates to create a superior shopper experience and make fresh food accessible to all. The solution also helps minimize food waste by ensuring that the appropriate inventory levels are maintained and the items are always fresh, based on insights from customers’ shopping habits.
“SpartanNash takes pride in empowering store leaders with buying decisions and providing the freshest foods for its store guests,” said Matt Schwartz, CEO of San Francisco-based Afresh, adding that the company “is proud to partner with the SpartanNash team to help better manage the ever-changing nature of fresh. As the only built-for-fresh solution that intelligently navigates hard-to-predict data to drive optimal decisions, Afresh takes a unique approach to solving the complexities of a fresh department.”
Afresh also works with Albertsons Cos., Heinen’s, Save Mart, Bashas’ and Cub Foods, among others.
SpartanNash’s core businesses include distributing grocery products to independent and chain retailers, its corporate-owned retail stores, and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges, as well as fresh produce distribution and fresh food processing. No. 41 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company serves customer locations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Djibouti. SpartanNash also operates 147 supermarkets and employs 17,500-plus associates. Albertsons, Bashas’ (owned by Raley’s), Cub Foods (owned by United Natural Foods Inc.) and Save Mart are Nos. 9, 48, 49 and 55, respectively, on PG’s list.
