Afresh Technologies, a provider of AI-powered technology built for fresh categories within grocery, has announced the rollout of its Fresh Operating System across Stillwater, Minnesota-based Cub’s stores.
“At CUB, the local community is at the center of everything we do. Afresh has helped us keep our community front and center by delivering better, fresher products to our shoppers, while also helping us reduce waste and lessen our environmental footprint,” said Mike Stigers, CEO.
After utilizing Afresh’s predictive ordering and merchandising solution in select stores, Cub recognized improvements to inventory turns and product freshness for consumers, material labor efficiencies for store personnel and a profound reduction in food waste across their supply chain.
“Afresh worked to make the implementation of the Fresh Operating System as easy, flexible and lightweight as possible, which reduced the burden on our IT team,” said Luke Anderson, CIO. “We’re excited to roll Afresh out to more stores as a part of CUB’s broader strategy to increase efficiencies across our chain.”
Afresh allows CUB teams to manage the ever-changing nature of fresh food efficiently, reducing food waste and achieving better freshness in its stores. The solution works across CUB’s existing forecasting, inventory and store operations, providing department managers with a suite of easy-to-use ordering tools powered by real-time insights.
As a result, grocers utilizing Afresh can see an increase in sales by an average of 3 percent across their chain, while reducing food waste by 25 percent and improving inventory turns.
“CUB is a beloved cornerstone of their local community in Minnesota, a testament to the great work they do to constantly improve the grocery experience for their shoppers.” said Matt Schwartz, CEO and co-founder of Afresh. “Afresh is proud to continue to partner with CUB to help them reduce food waste and make fresh, healthy food accessible to their community.”
Established in 1968, Cub operates 80 grocery stores and pharmacies in Minnesota and Illinois that offer customers fresh produce, a wide selection and food expertise. It also offers a selection of wines, champagne, rose, craft beer, cider and mixers through its 31 Cub Wine & Spirits and Cub Liquor stores.
