Retail and CPG organizations earn recognition for innovations in customer insights and shelf planning

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SymphonyAI Retail CPG, a leading provider of end-to-end, integrated AI-powered merchandising, personalization and supply chain solutions for retailers and CPG manufacturers, today announced PepsiCo Northern Europe and Foodstuffs North Island as the winners of the inaugural Tempo Awards.

The Tempo Awards program recognizes leaders setting the pace through innovation in AI-based retail and CPG technology. PepsiCo Northern Europe, a European division of PepsiCo, and Foodstuffs North Island, a New Zealand owned and operated co-operative grocery retailer, were selected from a global group of retailers and CPG manufacturers nominated for their leading use of data, analytics and automation to improve operations and increase customer engagement.

�PepsiCo Northern Europe and Foodstuffs North Island both bring business process excellence to their operations, and we�re pleased to recognize their industry leadership,� said Manish Choudhary, President and CEO, SymphonyAI Retail CPG. �They embody the spirit of customer-focused innovation that retailers and CPGs worldwide can aspire to in using AI-driven capabilities.�

PepsiCo Northern Europe was selected for its embrace of shopper insights to build its business across entire categories at retailer partners. Using SymphonyAI Retail CPG Customer-Centric Retailing, PepsiCo combined retailer data and SymphonyAI solutions with its own internal advanced analytics capability to successfully bring shopper-led store clustering to more than 1,000 stores.

�We were able to achieve category management objectives and bring our category vision to life, including sustainability and brand innovation angles,� said Tessa Maas, senior category manager food at PepsiCo in the Netherlands. �We increased category space and optimized assortment based on current and future shopper needs, for example, through a higher share of healthy products and smaller packages in the mix.�

Joint ownership of data and analytics, a strategic priority for PepsiCo Northern Europe and its retailer partner, was a crucial strategy to effectively implement new clustering, a big category reset, and resulting category growth. �The incredible level of collaboration between PepsiCo, SymphonyAI, and the retailer yielded so many benefits and can now serve as best practice for other PepsiCo markets,� said Jan Haluza, manager of data science and analytics at PepsiCo Europe.

Foodstuffs North Island, a 100% New Zealand owned co-operative that operates the New World, PAK�nSAVE and Four Square brands, uses SymphonyAI Shelf Planning and Planogram capabilities to automate, speed and effectively merchandise for shoppers. Foodstuffs and SymphonyAI incorporated business rules that generate planograms using the average clusters of 10-12 stores, with store-specific variants based on that store�s specific sales to allocate more shelf space to items most valued by its specific shoppers. This approach uses advanced capabilities for optimal planograms while making it easier for the store owner to merchandise for its specific shoppers� needs.

�Since we have introduced SymphonyAI Shelf Planning, key categories have shown significant growth, demonstrating we�re delivering more of what our customers want,� said Foodstuffs North Island Category Lab Manager Shane Dickson. �It�s an infectious cycle as store owners see these customer-focused results, inspiring other owners to adopt this way of working.�

The Tempo Awards program celebrates the individuals, teams and companies at the forefront of change who are leveraging advanced technologies and AI to better serve shoppers and improve business performance.

About Foodstuffs North Island

Foodstuffs North Island (FSNI) is a 100% New Zealand-owned co-operative, with 323 owner-operated stores in communities across the North Island operating the Four Square, New World, PAK�nSAVE, and Gilmours, and Liquorland brands.

About PepsiCo

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated $79 billion in net revenue in 2021, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

About SymphonyAI Retail | CPG

SymphonyAI Retail CPG, a SymphonyAI vertical, is a leading provider of end-to-end, integrated AI-powered merchandising, marketing, and supply chain solutions for retailers and CPG manufacturers worldwide. Harnessing the power of AI, SymphonyAI Retail CPG solutions enhance agility, performance, and revenue growth across the retail value chain from source to consumer. Trusted by more than 1,200 leading retailers and manufacturers, SymphonyAI Retail CPG serves 15 of the top 25 global grocery retailers, the top 25 global CPG manufacturers, thousands of retail brands, and hundreds of national and regional chains. SymphonyAI Retail CPG is transforming retail and building a culture of contributing to positive change: SymphonyAI Retail CPG achieved 2022 Great Place to Work certification in all nine countries for which it was eligible.

About SymphonyAI

SymphonyAI is building the leading enterprise AI company for digital transformation across the most important and resilient growth verticals, including retail, consumer packaged goods, finance, manufacturing, media, and IT service management. SymphonyAI verticals have many leading enterprises as clients. Since its founding in 2017, SymphonyAI has grown rapidly to 2,000 talented leaders, data scientists, and other professionals. SymphonyAI is an SAIGroup company, backed by a $1 billion commitment from Dr. Romesh Wadhwani, a successful entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Contacts

Adrienne Newcomb

Ketner Group Communications (for SymphonyAI Retail CPG)

[email protected]