Wakefern to Expand Simbe Robotics in ShopRite Stores

Wakefern Food Corp. has announced that it is bringing Simbe’s AI-powered robotics to more ShopRite stores following a successful pilot.

After piloting Simbe’s Tally robot at 20 stores over several months, Wakefern says Simbe’s real-time insights “significantly reduced out-of-stock rates, maximized inventory availability, and enabled associates to be more effective and focus more of their time on delivering better experiences for customers.” Simbe’s Tally robotic technology can be found in several retailers such as BJ’s Wholesale Club and SpartanNash banner stores.

“Tally has proven to be the ideal shelf-intelligence solution for our members as it’s been able to roll right into our technology ecosystem, sending real-time shelf condition data directly to retail associates’ handheld devices,” said Charles J. McWeeney, VP of Technology, Innovation & Strategy at Wakefern Food Corp. “With timely, consistent, and accurate product data from Tally, our in-store mobile application presents a prioritized aisle by aisle inventory worklist to the store associates, ensuring they invest their time in the most meaningful and valuable services for our customers.”

Tally’s AI-powered platform detects out-of-stock items at more than 99% accuracy and frees up dozens of hours per week for store teams to focus on other important tasks, according to Simbe. Tally autonomously roams stores multiple times per day, requires only one day to set up, and achieves ROI within 60 days. In July 2023, Simbe announced a Series B raise of $28 million, opening up possibilities for further expansion.

“With our business intelligence solution, Wakefern has real-time visibility into shelf health at a frequency and fidelity that cannot be found anywhere else on the market,” said Brad Bogolea, co-founder and CEO of Simbe. “This consistent access to deep, precise insights has empowered Wakefern and its members' store teams to further improve the exceptional shopping experience their customers expect by keeping shelves fully stocked. We look forward to continuing to enhance the experience for store teams and shoppers alike.”

ShopRite operates more than 315 stores across the Northeast.