Handy Mart & CB4 Extend Technology Partnership

MOUNT OLIVE, N.C. — Following a year-long collaboration, Handy Mart renewed its partnership with technology company CB4.

The deal will continue to improve customer experience, increase same-store growth and better meet local demand across the convenience store chain, according to the company.

CB4's patented machine learning technology uses preexisting point-of-sale data to identify when physical issues in a store are holding back sales and hurting the customer experience. Such issues include products that aren't easily visible, ticketing issues and out of stocks.

"We love our customers, and care deeply about their experience in our stores," said Tony Noonan, vice president of retail operations at Handy Mart. "We're committed to innovation, and always trying to find new ways to improve the in-store experience. CB4 allows us to better localize our assortment on a store and SKU level. We want our customers to be able to find exactly what they're looking for, and we want to carry the items they love the most."

During the partnership's first year, CB4 helped Handy Mart managers find items that were not on a top sellers list but would perform like top sellers at their specific store locations. The managers then made sure the items were in stock, easy to find and presented in an appealing way.

"Handy Mart is passionate about their customer experience. They back up this commitment by giving their store managers the power to act directly in order to improve the customer experience in their stores," said Yoni Benshaul, CEO of CB4. "When our software uncovers issues at a Handy Mart location, their store managers can quickly make changes to increase sales and improve findability."

Mount Olive-based Handy Mart is a division of E.J. Pope and Son Inc. that operates 39 c-stores in eastern North Carolina.