Wakefern Readies Deployment of Tally Robots

Wakefern Food Corp. announced a pilot to use Simbe Robotics' Tally inventory management robots in stores throughout its trading area.

Tally, which family-owned Schnucks also deployed in its stores last year, ensures that price tags and promotional displays are accurate throughout grocery stores. Tally autonomously roams store aisles up to three times per day, said Simbe Robotics, maker of Tally.

“Wakefern Food Corp. is committed to providing our customers best-in-class grocery shopping experiences,” said Charles McWeeney, VP of technology, innovation and strategy for Wakefern Food Corp, in a statement. “Tally’s technology is another tool to help our store operations and staff while creating new opportunities to maximize customer satisfaction.”

Tally’s AI-powered platform does not require any infrastructure changes to the store environment to operate, the company said. Operating during normal store hours, the company said the robot is equipped with a “sheath of sensors that enable it to strategically navigate quietly and autonomously across the store without being obtrusive to customers or store teams.” Tally’s data gathering technology also frees up time for store associates to work more closely with customers, Simbe Robotics explained.

“The retail industry is facing a unique and unprecedented set of challenges, and companies must thoughtfully adopt technology to address those challenges while continuing to provide a stellar level of service that customers expect,” said Brad Bogolea, co-founder and CEO of Simbe Robotics. “Tally is a cost-effective solution that supports the work of store teams and enhances the retail experience for associates and customers.”

One of the largest retailer-owned grocery cooperatives in the U.S., Wakefern includes nearly 280 ShopRite supermarkets in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland, serving millions of customers each week.