Technology

Giant Eagle teams with Plantensive on boosting product management

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February 3, 2023

Food retailer and distributor Giant Eagle is deploying advanced category management technology from Plantensive in order to better respond to consumers' changing needs.

The goal is to improve customer experience for 216 supermarkets and 274 GetGo convenience stores in heartland states throughout western Pennsylvania, north central Ohio, northern West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana, according to a press release.

Plantensive, a MorganFranklin company, is a supply chain and retail planning solutions provider.

"More than ever, retailers need to really understand the shopping behaviors and preferences of their local customers — and to adapt when they change," Rhonda Stinson, executive director and category management practice lead at Plantensive, said in the release. "While many stores struggle to access a variety of siloed data, Giant Eagle, by bringing information into a single source of truth, is transforming its ability to give customers what they need."

The technology will allow Giant Eagle to make informed decisions about which products are placed where within stores — knowing precisely what customers want, and where and how they want to get it.

Plantensive will help move Giant Eagle to the Blue Yonder Category Management suite. The system brings new capabilities, including spatially analyzing macro and micro space and tracking product allocation at the store (and even shelf-space) level. This drives efficiency and ensures products align optimally with the individual needs of each store's customers, according to the release.

The system also enables more effective collaboration between store managers, supply chain managers and merchandising leaders to better meet customer needs.

"Plantensive joined Giant Eagle as an experienced Blue Yonder category management partner which was critical for us in this implementation," Scott McNeely, Giant Eagle VP of merchandising planning, operations and analytics, said in the release. "We are looking forward to our improved guest experience and increased collaboration with the updated solution as our teams continue partnering to accelerate our category management initiatives."

Giant Eagle, which most recently reported $11 billion in annual sales, was founded in 1931 and operates more than 490 stores throughout western Pennsylvania, north central Ohio, northern West Virginia, Maryland and Indiana.