Coles

The opportunity

Coles is always looking to deliver great value, fresh, top quality fruit and vegetables to their customers while working smarter to make it easier for their store and supply chain teams. The challenge is to match customer demand to a dynamic and ever changing agricultural supply chain, whilst taking into account variables such as weather events, seasonality, social events, promotions and customers habits and preferences.​

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The solution

Partnering with Relex Solutions, a Finnish provider of advanced AI demand forecasting and retail optimisations solutions, Mulberry played a critical role to enabling the “home team” (Coles) with transformation accelerators. Together not only embedded the solution into a complex enterprise technology environment but also enable the critical change management needed to successfully operationalise the product. The end result provided automation and increased efficiency in one of Coles' most complex supply chains and improve the customer experience through more targeted ranges, improved availability, fresher products and simpler, faster processes for team members and suppliers.​

Coles Executive General Manager Central Operations and Transformation Kevin Gunn said Coles started the journey of centralising its replenishment model more than ten years ago.

“Fresh produce presents many unique challenges compared to other parts of the grocery business: shorter shelf life, seasonality, price elasticity, along with the diverse and complex growing seasons and regions we are challenged with in Australia,” he said.

“Using the RELEX solution to centralise the control of the replenishment model allows Coles to provide increased efficiency in one of our most complex supply chains and improve the customer experience through more targeted ranges, improved availability, fresher products, and simpler processes for our team members and our suppliers.

“The centralised ordering of fresh produce will also help to reduce waste on our existing range and minimise waste on new ranges, which is important to us as Coles aims to become Australia’s most sustainable supermarket.”

https://www.relexsolutions.com/news/coles-partners-with-relex-solutions-to-reduce-food-waste/

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