Winn-Dixie, SAS Ink Long-term Strategic Analytics Agreement

Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. has embarked on a strategic multiyear agreement with business analytics software and services provider SAS to enhance the grocer’s marketing and merchandising operations technology. The partnership will enable Jacksonville, Fla.-based Winn-Dixie to implement a range of SAS software products over a five-year period to help boost profits.

Under the agreement, SAS will first implement key portions of its Merchandise Intelligence suite, which includes Merchandise Financial Planning, Revenue Optimization, Merchandise Assortment Planning, and Retail Space Management. Winn-Dixie will additionally deploy SAS Customer Intelligence, software including Campaign Management, Marketing Automation, Marketing Optimization and Customer Insight for Retail, to address marketing operations and customer insights.

“We chose SAS because of their strong commitment to retail and analytical excellence,” explained Winn-Dixie CIO Maura Hart. “This partnership will enhance our customers’ shopping experience with the implementation of SAS’ technology and resources to provide improvements in pricing, assortment and category management.”

“Many grocers have mountains of data, but they lack the time and resources to gain meaningful intelligence from it,” added Diana McHenry, global retail product marketing at the Cary, N.C.–based vendor. “SAS is building a bridge so grocers can reap the rewards of advanced analytics just like other segments of the retail industry. The new grocery analytics suite will marry products from the SAS Merchandise Intelligence suite and the SAS Customer Intelligence portfolio to address the driving needs of the grocery industry: improved category management, optimized pricing, space optimization and customer insight. This will help grocers predict buying behavior and identify customers who are at risk of rolling their shopping cart to the competition.”

SAS retail customers include Carrefour, Casino, Family Dollar, Sainsbury’s, ShopKo, Tesco, Waitrose and Wakefern.

Winn-Dixie operates 484 retail grocery locations, including 379 in-store pharmacies, in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia and Mississippi.