Central Co-op has renewed its partnership with Retail Insight to pursue efforts in slashing food waste.
The society will work with the software provider for a further three years, having first adopted Retail Insight’s WasteInsight platform in 2021.
This cognitive-driven technology focuses on expiration management, more efficient donations to charities, and forecasting accuracy to enable dynamic markdowns in terms of pricing and timing.
Its aim is to maximise sell-through, minimise losses, and streamline waste management processes.
As part of the contract extension, Central Co-op will also start implementing Retail Insight’s Prompted Markdown feature, which sits within the WasteInsight solution.
Using AI, Prompted Markdown automatically identifies products nearing expiry, then alerts staff members through their handheld devices when action is needed.
Central Co-op said the additional feature would help to optimise its waste journey and further improve operational efficiency by eliminating the need for time-consuming manual checks.
“WasteInsight has revolutionised our approach to markdowns and waste reduction, allowing us to optimise our operations and improve sustainability,” said Central Co-op senior operational excellence manager Ben Grove.
“We are excited to continue this journey and experience the additional benefits that the prompted markdown feature will bring to the business.”
Retail Insight customer success manager Jessica Westwell added: “We are delighted to continue our partnership with Central Co-op.
“Its commitment to waste reduction and operational excellence is truly inspiring, and it’s been great to work with the team to increase compliance and drive performance through our solution.”
Central Co-op comprises 450 trading outlets across 21 counties and employs 7,500 colleagues. Its retail network spans 255 food stores and 18 petrol station outlets, as well as offering floristry and funeral services.
No comments yet