Albertsons Optimizes Retail Buying With New Tech

Albertsons Cos. is implementing new technology to scale its retail buying efforts for HBC and general merchandise category selection across all 19 of its banners.

Partnering with San Francisco-based tech company RangeMe on the solution, Albertsons will enable its teams to quickly locate and stock shelves with products customers want, such as organic HBC products or local items and brands, saving time and money, which gets passed down to shoppers.

“This new technology directly benefits our customers and employees alike,” said Mark Panzer, Albertsons Cos. SVP of pharmacy health and wellness.

RangeMe provides an online platform that streamlines new product discovery between retailers and product suppliers, which is a competitive advantage for companies. Buyers and suppliers alike can concentrate their time on finding relevant and trending products for customers, who then benefit from a broader selection of items to choose from in the aisle.

"Our buying teams are very aware that there are products out there waiting to be discovered," said Pat Dennis, group VP, general merchandising/health and beauty care merchandising. "RangeMe makes it easy for suppliers to show us their products and company capabilities so our national sales managers can ensure a good fit for our customers and company before moving forward."

In January, RangeMe teamed up with Carlisle, Pa.-based Ahold USA to deploy the platform across the grocer's divisions