SPRINGDALE, AR - Harps Food Stores announced it will deploy SmartMeals™, AWG's AI-powered shopping assistant powered by Breez AI, across its network of more than 150 stores.
The announcement was made during the AWG Innovation Showcase, March 24–26, where independent grocers from across the country gather to explore new technologies and solutions shaping the future of grocery retail. It comes one week after AWG announced a broad deployment of SmartMeals™ across its member network, highlighting the rapid momentum behind the AI-powered platform. With more than 150 stores, Harps is one of the largest operators in the AWG network, and this decision to deploy SmartMeals™ at scale sends a clear message to independent grocers everywhere: AI is already shaping where customers shop. The question is whether our stores are part of that conversation.
The SmartMeals™ deployment at Harps will integrate directly with the company’s existing digital infrastructure, including Birdzi, Harps’ customer loyalty platform, and Webstop, its webpage provider. That integration connects personalized meal planning, digital savings, and future online ordering with each store's real-time inventory and customer loyalty data, giving Harps shoppers a seamless path from meal inspiration to purchase.
SmartMeals™ generates personalized meal plans, recipes, and cooking instructions in seconds, based on each shopper's household size, dietary preferences, and budget. It automatically builds a shopping list using products currently in stock at their local Harps store, applies available digital savings, and highlights store brands and private label items. It also creates a personalized, reshoppable library of preferred meals for each customer.
“Harps has always focused on delivering the best possible experience for our customers and our communities,” said David Ganoung, chief marketing officer, of Harps Food Stores, in the recent release. “SmartMeals™ allows us to combine that commitment with cutting-edge technology, giving our customers personalized meal inspiration while making it easier to shop our stores.”
The rollout is part of a broader technology initiative led by AWG to give independent grocers access to advanced digital tools traditionally available only to the largest national chains. SmartMeals™ includes a fully integrated retail media module, built by Breez AI, that creates high-intent CPG placement opportunities directly inside the shopping experience. When a shopper builds a meal plan, sponsored products can appear as featured ingredients or entire meals matched to their household profile — on a shopping list they are about to shop in-store or order online. For CPG brands, that is among the most targeted placements in grocery retail. For independent grocers, it is a revenue stream that has historically flowed only to the largest chains.
Coming soon, SmartMeals™ will also deliver personalized meal recommendations back to shoppers through their loyalty program after each trip, creating a second high-intent touchpoint for CPG brands at the moment shoppers are most ready to plan their next basket.
“Independent grocers are the backbone of communities across the country, and our mission at AWG is to ensure they have access to the innovative tools that larger retailers do," said Shelly Moore, AWG's chief information officer. "SmartMeals™ helps level the playing field by giving retailers like Harps a powerful way to personalize the shopping experience, driving customer loyalty and basket size. It also opens a new chapter in how CPG brands can partner with independent grocers — placing their products inside a high-intent, personalized shopping experience rather than just relying on traditional promotions.”
"Shoppers are already using AI to decide what to cook," said Tal Zlotnitsky, founder and CEO of Breez AI. "Harps is making sure that decision happens inside their brand, connected to their inventory and their loyalty program. Every week that plays out, Harps is capturing a greater share of the basket, building loyalty, and generating retail media revenue that used to be out of reach for independent grocers. The retailers who move now will look back on this as the moment the game changed."
The rollout will be structured as a phased deployment, beginning in the early summer with an initial group of 20-25 stores, before expanding across the broader Harps network in subsequent months. The initiative will be led internally by David Ganoung, chief marketing officer, and Sarah Thacker, director of advertising & communications.
