Winn-Dixie Stores, Inc. is on a mission sharpen its neighborhood merchandising and marketing, and intends to improve its information sharing capabilities to make it happen in concert with tech firms and CPG manufacturers.

The chain said yesterday it will work with IBM, Priva Technologies, TrueDemand Software and CPG suppliers to better align merchandising, marketing, and store operations. The object is to drive more traffic to stores, increase the average basket size per customer store visit, and enhance customer satisfaction.

The partners in the efforts plan to use industry-standard information to reduce shelf-level out of stocks, and tailor product offerings to fit each community in the grocer's five-state operating area.

The technology vendors will provide access to methodologies, best practices, and applications used to improve information sharing and collaboration with the CPG companies, said Winn-Dixie.

Winn-Dixie operates 520 retail grocery locations including more than 400 in-store pharmacies in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, and Mississippi.