ShopRite Unveils Next-Gen Pickup, Delivery Approach

Grocer piloting use of innovative totes via partnership with Phononic

1/25/2024

ShopRite is using Phononic's innovative refrigerated totes for pickup and delivery orders at one of its stores in New York.

ShopRite is rolling out innovative freezer and refrigerator totes for its pickup and delivery services at one of its New York stores thanks to a partnership with cooling solutions and technology provider Phononic.

Phononic’s 2nd Generation Active Cooling Solutions (ACS) Freezer and Refrigerator Totes are used to pick, store and stage online orders to help save space in-store, while also operating without traditional refrigerants and using more sustainable, cost-effective technology. The totes are supported with 24/7 information-sharing capabilities to help grocers maximize usage and efficiency.

“The recent launch of the Phononic 2nd Generation ACS totes allowed us to create an Order. Pickup. Deliver. department in a store with a smaller building footprint,” said Steve Savas, president, Shop-Rite Supermarkets, Inc., which operates stores in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the Hudson Valley in New York. “Local customers can now pick up their online orders at the store or have them delivered.”

Continued Savas: “We are always looking for opportunities to be at the forefront of innovation in digital commerce, and we are excited to be the first grocer in the nation with this technology.”

According to Phononic, its solution has helped the ShopRite store in New York realize a 70% reduction in staging room requirements with no impact on order volume, and has also helped reduce congestion during peak hours.

“As the industry’s only solid-state cooling solution for curbside, Phononic’s Actively-Cooled tote makes economic sense,” said Larry Yang, chief product officer at Phononic. “Not only is it easy to integrate the totes into ShopRite’s existing operations, but it's incredibly scalable — capable of growing easily alongside ShopRite’s booming curbside business, and agile enough to keep up with daily order fluctuations.”

Keasbey, N.J.-based Wakefern comprises nearly 50 members that independently own and operate 360-plus supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage and Fairway Market banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Together with its member companies, Wakefern employs nearly 80,000 people. The company is No. 29 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.