FREEHOLD, N.J. -- Foodarama Supermarkets plans to open bigger ShopRite stores of up to 75,000 square feet, said Joseph Saker, president and chief executive officer, in the company's annual meeting at its headquarters here.
The 18-store New Jersey chain is scheduled to open two World Class ShopRite units of 60,000 square feet or more in Marlboro, N.J., and Montgomery, N.J., this summer. A 75,000-square-foot store is planned next year in East Windsor Township. In 18 months, a new 60,000 square foot to 65,000-square-foot ShopRite is slated to open in Wall Township. Additionally, the Bricktown store has been remodeled, and refurbishing is nearly done at the East Brunswick store.
As part of an ongoing systems upgrade, all stores now have computer-generated ordering systems, which Saker said will reduce inventory levels and out-of-stocks. The upgrade, he said, "is designed to enhance shelf-space utilization and reduce labor costs." The chain plans to install new computerized time and attendance systems at the store level later this year, he added.
Foodarama also has equipped all field merchandisers and operations supervisors with laptop computers, which Saker said provides "office staff and field personnel with current information to facilitate the making of accurate and timely decisions."
In April, the chain began a single-store test of a new direct-store-delivery system, in which merchandise is paid from DSD documents at the back door for such products as bread and beverages, Jim Crasner, vice president of retail automation, told SN after the meeting. "This is an upgraded version of an old wire-connect system in which batches had to be downloaded to be scanned in, and dealing with a live file is more accurate," he said.
Foodarama will test the system through the summer before rolling it out, Crasner said. Foodarama is one of several members of the Elizabeth, N.J.-based Wakefern Food Corp. ShopRite cooperative that is testing the system.
