FoodX Partners With Meridian to Meet Online Grocery Demand
A grocery e-commerce software provider, which works with the world’s largest retailers and boasts Whole Foods Markets’ co-CEO on its advisory board, recently added another grocer to its growing portfolio.
FoodX Technologies has partnered with Vancouver, British Columbia-based Meridian Farm Market to deploy mid-market end-to-end e-commerce capabilities to the 30-year-old family-owned chain. With eight locations in Canada, Meridian Farm Market will use the eGrocery Management Solution to scale its business and meet the growing demand for online food orders while ensuring food quality with less waste.
“In order to keep up with the change in consumer behavior, it is imperative that we find a technology solution that can enable our continued growth,” said Josh Penner, CEO of Meridian Farm Market.
Using Microsoft as its technology partner, FoodX is the software behind Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery’s (SPUD.ca) integrated food business eco-system that includes online retail, community retail locations, food preparation services, wholesale and last- mile distribution. Vancouver-based Spud.ca, through FoodX Urban Delivery Inc., partnered with Walmart Canada earlier this year to minimize the environmental impact of grocery delivery.
In July, Mississauga, Ontario-based Walmart Canada revealed plans to spend $2.58 billion over the next five years to better tie together physical and digital shopping, reduce payment friction, and make distribution and fulfillment more efficient.
“Grocery retailers, regardless of size, need a solution for the next 30 years that will include an efficient and profitable end-to-end e-commerce solution that reduces food waste and single-use plastics in their online operations,” said Peter van Stolk, CEO of Burnaby, British Columbia-based FoodX.
In August, FoodX partnered with Carrefour Group. Under an exclusive agreement for the Belgium market as a first step, Carrefour will integrate FoodX Technologies’ end-to-end software-as-a-service based system for online grocery management by mid-2021, encompassing the full range of point-of-order to point-of-fulfillment. With more than 320,000 employees, Carrefour recorded gross sales of approximately $95.5 .7 billion in 2019.
FoodX also partnered with robotic warehouse and fulfillment system provider Attabotics to streamline technology and operations at FoodX fulfillment centers across the globe. Calgary, Alberta-based Attabotics sells, designs, manufactures and implements 3D robotic supply-chain systems, which incorporate automated storage and retrieval systems with goods-to-person order fulfillment solutions.
Additionally, FoodX appointed Walter Robb, food industry veteran of more than 35 years and co-CEO of Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market, to its advisory board in July.
Robb joined Whole Foods Market in 1991 and in 2010 was named co-CEO, at which time he joined the company’s board of directors. Robb currently serves on the boards of directors for Union Square Hospitality Group, The Container Store, Aphria Inc. and Apeel Sciences.
Owned by Seattle-based Amazon, No. 2 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2020 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, Whole Foods, based in Austin, Texas, is No. 24 on the list. Walmart U.S. is No. 1 on PG's list.
