Regional independent Raley’s Family of Fine Stores is realizing enhanced category management with its recently deployed space management solution it uses to optimize many departments, aisles and categories of retail space across its 133 stores spanning four banners.

By using Atlanta-based Aldata Solution’s Apollo Space Optimization products in collaboration with its own Rapid Implementation Program (RIP), the West Sacramento, Calif.-based grocer has achieved an industry-leading speed to shelf -- in many instances analyzing and adjusting retail space up to three times faster than its competitors, according to Aldata.

“Category management used to be a cumbersome, mostly manual process that was ultimately left to the individual stores or merchandising teams to interpret and implement from the most common-size schematics,” said Rick McGill, schematic manager for Raley’s. “While sufficient at the time, it was not a precise method for merchandising. Apollo Space Optimization is a breakthrough suite of products that are easy to use and easy to understand, and have had a significant impact on our business. We’ve had a long-standing relationship with Apollo and continue to benefit from each of the new products it brings to market.”

Critical to the success of the chain is its ability to manage merchandising strategies while ensuring the right mix of products are at the store shelf to meet customers’ needs, said Aldata. Raley’s has accomplished this by deploying Apollo micro space planning, automated optimization, planogram database and Web publishing solutions. The products provide Raley’s with complete control to develop schematics and planograms to most effectively use shelf space. Plans are specific to each store configuration and allow for the addition, removal and modification of products on a month-to-month and store-by-store or cluster basis.

According to Aldata, the Apollo Space Optimization suite enables Raley’s to run “what-if” scenarios and quickly make decisions that mean the difference between generating new revenue and avoiding losses, while delivering the highest level of customer service. For example, during a remodel at one of its stores, Raley’s made critical decisions regarding the reduction and expansion of certain sections that will result in an annual sales savings of $60,000 at just one location. Raley’s uses Apollo on an ongoing basis for store-specific and cluster merchandising questions both large and small, which will save thousands of dollars per store each year.