For Cardenas Markets, a chain of 59 Hispanic-oriented supermarkets in the southwest, authentic merchandising has long been the bedrock of its success with shoppers.
When Doug Sanders joined the company as Chairman and CEO, he confronted a store ordering process that was highly dependent upon the judgement of store associates. Shrink and food waste was a significant concern for its impact on profits, due to a pattern of over-ordering and misallocation of shelf space. Within weeks, the COVID-19 epidemic struck, creating product shortages and demand surges that compounded existing inventory challenges. In addition, data from multiple point solutions and presented in meetings was not trusted, so time was spent discussing, even arguing about the accuracy. Consequently, business decisions couldn’t be made.
Prabash Coswatte, Cardenas’ Chief Administrative Officer and head of IT, was tasked with finding and implementing a solution for these issues. His team selected Itasca Magic™ to automate the ordering process and bring greater inventory intelligence and discipline to merchandising decisions.