Jacksons Food Stores Upgrades Category Management Process

MERIDIAN, Idaho — Jacksons Food Stores is tapping Blue Yonder to digitally transform its space management capabilities.

The convenience store chain will implement Blue Yonder's category management SaaS solution to automate and improve category management capabilities from manual processes. The project will be fulfilled by Blue Yonder partner Plantensive, a supply chain and retail planning solutions provider.

Once implemented, Blue Yonder's solution will allow Jacksons to:

• Operate a modern, structured category management process, enabling the retailer to move from strategy to execution much quicker by leveraging advanced analytics capabilities;
• Allocate space more strategically through data and analytics, improving the customer shopping experience by localizing assortment to a store level; and
• Provide each store with specific assortment and shelf placement to efficiently operate with a localized assortment to better serve its shoppers.

"We are focused on providing customers with the service, products, and convenience they need — when, where and how they want it. To continue doing this well in today's rapidly changing environment, we are looking forward to implementing Blue Yonder's category management solution alongside Plantensive," said Jacksons President Corey Jackson. "This solution will allow us to meet the needs of each of our stores, serving the unique needs of each of our communities."

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Blue Yonder's category management solution will allow Jacksons to optimize layouts across stores, increasing space productivity and reducing out-of-stocks to increase customer satisfaction. By leveraging SaaS, Jacksons will have unmatched scalability and reliability, as well as the ability to take advantage of new solution innovations as soon as they're available, according to Plantensive.

"We are excited to once again join forces with Blue Yonder for a transformative category management project. This collaboration will enable Jacksons in enhancing customer service through strategic allocation and assortment," said Derek Cesarz, managing partner, Plantensive. "With Blue Yonder's leading position in the retail sector and our specialized expertise, we expect a significant positive impact from this implementation."

Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Blue Yonder is a leader in digital supply chain transformations and omnichannel commerce fulfillment. The company's end-to-end, cognitive business platform enables retailers, manufacturers and logistics providers to best fulfill customer demand from planning through delivery.

"Jacksons is viewed as an innovator in transforming food service within the convenience channel, so we are excited to be Jacksons' category management solution provider as they embark on their digital transformation journey," said Vince Beacom, senior vice president, retail, Blue Yonder. "Jacksons needed a category management solution that could adjust as customer preference and localized demand changes. With Blue Yonder's category management solution, they can build and maintain store-specific planograms to drive more localized assortment and efficient execution, resulting in increased sales."

Plantensive, a MorganFranklin company, provides end-to-end supply chain solutions and tools to accelerate value by building, implementing and optimizing dynamic, reliable supply chain solutions aligned with business strategies.

Meridian-based Jacksons operates more than 300 company-operated convenience stores in Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, California, and Utah under the Jacksons Food Stores and ExtraMile by Jacksons Convenience Store brands.