Ahold Delhaize USA Taps Relex for Fresher Produce

Retail Business Services LLC, the services company of Ahold Delhaize USA, has implemented an end-to-end forecasting and replenishment system from Relex Solutions to provide even fresher produce to its millions of customers at the grocer’s banners, whether they shop in stores, through pickup points or online for delivery.  

“By implementing this game-changing solution, Retail Business Services is further enabling Ahold Delhaize USA’s local brands to deliver on their ambitions to be there for their customers anytime, anywhere with the freshest products,” noted Chris Lewis, EVP of supply chain for Salisbury, N.C.-based Retail Business Services. “Not only will it provide local brand stores with the flexibility they need to best serve their customers, it will enable a complete supply chain transformation at a time when customer expectations are rapidly changing the way groceries are bought, sold and delivered.”

The solution provides integrated, efficient end-to-end forecasting and replenishment for both fresh and center store products using a flexible rules engine, thereby allowing each banner to tailor the solution to their customers’ particular needs. Leveraging artificial intelligence, the system continuously learns from itself to enable increasingly sophisticated forecasting decisions.

The Food Lion and Hannaford banners have been piloting a Relex solution for fresh distribution center forecasting and replenishment since early last year. Based on those pilots’ success, Retail Business Services is now rolling out the solution across all of Ahold Delhaize USA’s banners.

“Together, we share a common mission to optimize inventory levels and ultimately improve the shopping experience for consumers, no matter how they shop,” said Michael Falck, President, North America at Relex, which has offices in Atlanta and London, of the partnership with Retail Business Services.

Retail Business Services provides such services as information technology, merchandising, marketing and sourcing, private-brand products, pharmacy, not for resale, financial, legal, communications and supply chain to Ahold Delhaize USA banners Food Lion, Giant Food, Giant/Martin’s, Hannaford, and Stop & Shop, along with e-grocer Peapod.

Parent company Ahold Delhaize USA is No. 4 on Progressive Grocer’s 2018 list of the top grocers in the United States.