Associated Grocers serves up four-color electronic shelf labels

Western Canada wholesaler Associated Grocers has begun offering four-color electronic shelf labels (ESLs) to its network of more than 650 independent grocery stores.

Part of Save-On-Foods parent Pattison Food Group, Associated Grocers has adopted JRTech Solutions’ Pricer SmartTAG Color digital shelf labels, which provide advanced black, red, white and yellow display capabilities, bringing more shopper attention to on-shelf promotions, Montreal-based JRTech said this week.

“JRTech Solutions’ Digital Smart Label System seamlessly integrates with the point-of-sale systems used by our member stores,” Brody Powell, general manager of wholesale for Calgary, Alberta-based Associated Grocers, said in a statement.

Associated Grocers’ deployment of the new shelf tags at grocer Liberty Foods in Fruitvale, British Columbia, marked the first full-store installation of four-color ESLs in North America, JRTech noted.

“Historically, altering paper labels in our stores required a substantial investment of our employees’ time. In our quest for more efficient operations, we’ve been actively exploring digital solutions to manage price changes, track inventory and restock products quicker, allowing our employees to focus more on what truly matters: assisting our customers,” according to Derrick Dar, managing director at Liberty Foods. “JRTech Solutions and our new Pricer Smart Labels enable us to achieve precisely that objective. The addition of the color yellow to our digital tags allows our promotions to clearly stand out, making it the ideal choice for us and our customers.”

Associated Grocers serves independent food retailers in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan from distributions centers in Calgary and in Surrey, British Columbia, as well as from a produce facility in Langley, British Columbia. The Langley-based Pattison Food Group’s wholesale divisions— Associated Grocers, Van-Whole Produce, Canadian Choice Wholesale and Bulkley Valley Wholesale—supply approximately 1,900 supermarkets, convenience stores and specialty produce markets.

“We are proud to be partnering with the AG Group to help streamline store processes and create added value for their brand and their members. While our system has been installed in hundreds of grocery stores across Canada since 2009, this agreement is a significant step forward in the adoption of our black, white, red and yellow smart labels,” stated JRTech Solutions President and CEO Diego Mazzone. “It also widens our footprint in Western Canadian grocery, once again solidifying JRTech’s position as the preeminent provider of ESLs in North America.”