Leading retailer strengthens agility with AI and machine learning to improve allocation and replenishment decisions
MC, the retail division of Sonae and a leading player in Portugal’s grocery market and health, wellness, and beauty retail across the Iberian Peninsula, has selected Blue Yonder Cognitive Solutions for Allocation and Replenishment to advance its supply chain transformation.
With more than 400 stores across multiple formats, MC operates major supermarkets and hypermarkets such as Continente, along with convenience stores, health and wellness shops, and online grocery services. Blue Yonder’s advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) enabled solutions will help the company improve visibility into demand forecasting. The new solutions will be implemented by Blue Yonder Services.
“The grocery retail sector is adapting to a period of significant change, underlining the need for more agile operations across the supply chain. We needed end-to-end visibility and faster, more accurate inventory planning to address demand uncertainty while prioritizing our business goals,” commented Sofia Castro, Head of Supply Chain, at MC.
Forecasting capabilities
“We were impressed by Blue Yonder’s patented AI and machine learning forecasting capabilities, which help us establish a single source of truth and coordinate decision-making across demand and supply planning. They support our need to serve every part of our retail portfolio, enabling our teams to deliver results more efficiently,” she continued.
Blue Yonder Allocation and Replenishment solution, powered by the Blue Yonder Platform, offers a multi-echelon inventory planning solution that enables retailers to manage inventory with visibility into constraints across the supply chain. Planners can automate product flow throughout its lifecycle to optimize full-price sales by using forecasts based on actual sales.
AI adoption
“This initiative by MC reflects a broader trend in which leading retailers are increasingly adopting AI and machine learning-driven solutions to address grocery and retail challenges,” commented Terry Turner, President, Global CPG, Life Sciences and Grocery, Blue Yonder.
“With Blue Yonder, MC will gain AI and machine learning-powered analytics and predictive insights, enabling the company to anticipate market trends and optimize decision-making to exceed customer expectations consistently,” he concluded.
