GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Who else loves hearing about industry partnerships in the fresh produce space? We at ANUK sure do, and boy, do we have some exciting news to share. This time, retailer SpartanNash has teamed up with food solutions company Afresh Technologies to pilot the Afresh platform at 10 of its owned Family Fare grocery stores in the Grand Rapids, Michigan, area.
“Our partnership with Afresh will help SpartanNash deliver fresh produce to our store guests while also minimizing food waste, which is a key focus area for our Company’s ESG efforts,” said SpartanNash Chief Merchandising Officer Bennett Morgan. “Leveraging the strength of artificial intelligence and digital workflow will provide our Associates with insights to create solutions that benefit our corporate retail store guests.”
Afresh equips SpartanNash’s fresh department managers with easy-to-use, modern ordering tools that are powered by real-time insights to support ordering decisions. The platform’s insights build upon the expertise of SpartanNash associates to create the best possible shopper experience and make fresh food accessible to all, a press release explained. The tool also helps minimize food waste by ensuring the appropriate inventory levels are maintained.
Afresh Chief Executive Officer Matt Schwartz also commented in the release, noting the advantages of this new partnership.
"SpartanNash takes pride in empowering store leaders with buying decisions and providing the freshest foods for its store guests,” said Schwartz. "Afresh is proud to partner with the SpartanNash team to help better manage the ever-changing nature of fresh. As the only built-for-fresh solution that intelligently navigates hard-to-predict data to drive optimal decisions, Afresh takes a unique approach to solving the complexities of a fresh department.”
SpartanNash Executive Vice President and General Manager, Corporate Retail Tom Swanson weighed in on the partnership as well.
“The more time our Associates save in the forecasting and ordering process, the more time they can spend on the floor serving our store guests,” said Swanson. “SpartanNash will continue to implement innovative solutions that improve our shoppers’ in-store experience and help us deliver the ingredients for a better life.”
For more partnerships in the fresh produce space, you know where to find us.
