SOUTHERN TECHNICALITIES

DAN ALAIMO

NEW ORLEANS -- It was the big busy in the Big Easy.

During the Food Marketing Institute's MarkeTechnics show held here last month, SN took the technological pulse of the industry. The result: It's racing.

Drawing more than 5,000 attendees, the show saw a significant uptick in its exhibition area. There were 320 companies on the show floor, up from 300 last year, occupying 240,000 square feet, up from 225,000. Most reported that the show was successful.

But as busy as MarkeTechnics was, the retailers had to pry themselves away from their offices to come to New Orleans, at least judging from the field reports issued at the show. During the event, big and small supermarket companies reported an unprecedented array of initiatives, including expansions of self-checkout programs, upgraded payment applications, numerous labor-management programs, new on-line shopping services and an array of back-office support projects.

Here's a wrap-up of the retailer news reported during MarkeTechnics:

Giant Eagle

Giant Eagle, Pittsburgh, will roll out 60 additional self-checkout stations to stores in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The retailer has already installed 10 Automated Checkout Machine (ACM) Total Payment Systems from Productivity Solutions, Jacksonville. The "next generation" units from PSI allow shoppers with large or small baskets to scan their orders and, without the need for a cashier, pay with cash, credit cards or debit cards using a device similar to an ATM machine.

Supervalu

The 800-store Save-A-Lot Food Stores limited assortment chain of Supervalu, Eden Prairie, Minn., has completed a 250-store implementation of a point-of-sale system from Fujitsu-ICL Systems, Dallas, and Data Systems Inc., Omaha.

The 250 stores use Fujitsu's TeamPoS point-of-sale systems and ISS45 software. ISS45 is an open, standards-based software. This includes 200 corporate stores and 50 franchised outlets. The implementation could expand to its entire chain.

"Fujitsu's ISS45 has the flexibility to be easily tailored to our specific needs," said Tim Neustadt, manager of retail systems at Save-A-Lot.

Publix

Publix Super Markets, Lakeland, Fla., is set to launch a new e-payment platform from ACI Worldwide, Omaha.

The retailer has licensed a suite of consumer e-payment processing applications and it plans to use it to launch a new processing platform for all payment transactions initiated by consumers at the supermarket's more than 640 stores. It will also use it to process transactions initiated within Publix's Presto electronic funds transfer network.

"Our existing in-house system just can't keep up with our business needs," said Publix official Lee Brunson.

Klein's

Klein's Supermarkets, Forest Hill, Md., has selected Lynk Systems, Atlanta, to be its single-source provider of electronic payment processing. The privately owned supermarket company operates five full-service stores in Harford County, Md., which is near Baltimore.

"Electronic transactions are growing exponentially as a percentage of our total transactions, making speed, accuracy and reliability more important than ever," said Howard Klein, vice president of Klein's. "Lynk enhances our performance at the point-of-sale in all of these areas.

Safeway

Safeway, Pleasanton, Calif., has contracted with Lawson Software, St. Paul, Minn., to run the retailer's financial operations on the lawson.insight system.

Safeway will use the lawson.insight Financials e-business engines, Analytic, Collaborative Commerce and Enterprise Workflow Extensions and Self-Evident Applications for e-Broadcasting, e-Financial Reporting and e-Workforce Analytics. These Lawson solutions will be used by the retailer to manage financial operations for its corporate headquarters and over 1,700 stores in the United States and Western Canada.

Sewell-Allen

Sewell-Allen, an operator of Piggly Wiggly and MegaMarket stores in the Memphis area, is implementing the Microsoft-based Openfield point-of-sale, back office and multi-store management system. The integrated solution will be used by Sewell-Allen to enhance customer service and improve efficiency.

Sewell-Allen is the largest independent and locally owned grocery store operator in Memphis, with 12 Piggly Wiggly stores, three MegaMarket stores, three Family Pharmacy stores, one PW Petro fuel station, and one MegaMarket fuel station.

"We really did our homework in looking at all of the solutions available to retailers," said Wayne Moore, information technology manager for Sewell-Allen. "Systech was able to respond to our requests with innovative solutions."

Furr's

Furr's Supermarkets, Albuquerque, has agreed to implement the work force management software product of Radiant Systems, Atlanta, in all 72 of its stores.

Radiant's Workforce Management provides a comprehensive management solution, including enterprise budgeting and planning, automated schedules, and automated payroll collection and processing.

"We are convinced that Radiant's Workforce Management solution will enable us to more effectively manage our labor force and ultimately serve our customers better," said Steve Mortensen, senior vice president and chief financial officer at Furr's.

Bashas'

Bashas', Chandler, Ariz., is expanding its use of the work force management component of Retail.net software from Tomax Corp., Salt Lake City. Bashas' has used Retail.net Workforce Management in many of its stores for several years, and has bought 28 additional licenses to enable all its locations to use the program.

"We save 10% to 15% on front-end payroll in every store using Retail.net," said Larry Simpson, Bashas' director of retail information systems.

Wegmans

Wegmans Food Markets, Rochester, N.Y., has expanded its agreement for a labor forecasting and scheduling system from Labor Resource Management, Glen Ellyn, Ill.

Wegmans is using the new system to more effectively manage and schedule its work force. The retailer also added LRM's time and attendance system after it found that projections from the scheduler resulted in a greater-than-expected sales increase.

Spartan

Spartan Stores, Grand Rapids, Mich., is installing a suite of item management solutions from SofTechnics, Dallas, in its 118 retail stores in Michigan and Ohio.

Part of Spartan's corporate strategy is to invest in infrastructure to cut costs and produce efficiencies throughout all of its operations. The SofTechnics software is designed to maximize item and inventory management decisions in the company's retail stores.

Kmart

Kmart Corp., Troy, Mich., has contracted with Symbol Technologies, Holtsville, N.Y., to implement in-store wireless and mobile computing solutions in its entire chain of more than 2,100 stores at a cost of about $70 million. The project will include handheld computers and a wireless local area network infrastructure. "Kmart's decision to invest in a global rollout of Symbol's wireless and mobile computing solutions will help to achieve our strategic imperatives of world-class execution and developing a customer-centric culture," said Michael Jones, divisional vice president, information technology and customer experience.

Ukrop's

A kiosk program at Ukrop's Super Markets, Richmond, Va., has increased sales among users by 8% as measured against a control group.

The Ukrop's Shopper kiosk, from Meals.com subsidiary of Coinstar, Bellevue, Wash., is linked to the Internet, as well as to the retailer's shopper card program and point-of-sale data. Ukrop's is the first chain to use this form of customer relationship management, according to Meals.com. The kiosks have been installed in 27 Ukrop's stores for about a year.

Members of the retailer's Valued Customer program swipe their cards at the kiosk as they enter the store. The kiosk then identifies and delivers information and offers tailored to that household. It also informs consumers about in-store promotions and specials, prints grocery lists and makes meal suggestions. To protect privacy, the kiosk system only recognizes the number assigned to the card.

Albertson's

Albertson's, Boise, Idaho, revealed at the show that it has reached an agreement for Meals.com, a subsidiary of Coinstar, Bellevue, Wash., to provide co-branded versions of Meal.com's on-line recipe content and meal-planning tools to Albertson's Web sites. "Albertson's is pleased to offer this new on-line service to its customers," said Matt Muta, Albertson's vice president of e-commerce and Internet. "Meals.com's recipes and technology will provide new incentives for Albertson's customers to return to the Albertsons.com Web site."

The retailer's corporate Web site, www.albertsons.com, will implement the system within two months. Albertson's Jewel-Osco, www.jewelosco.com, and Acme Markets, www.acmemarkets.com, sites will also add the Meals.com content.

Farm Fresh

Farm Fresh, Norfolk, Va., will outsource the on-line grocery shopping application, systems and processes of MyWebGrocer.com, New York.