NCR Acquires Grocery E-Commerce Leader Freshop

NCR Corp. has acquired grocery e-commerce leader Freshop in a move it says would give retailers, especially regional and small grocery chains, the ability to quickly deploy buy online, pick up in-store capabilities.

The combination of NCR’s core point-of-sale platform with Freshop’s e-commerce capabilities will also enable retailers to build stronger customer relationships, strengthen their brands and earn better margins than with third-party e-commerce providers, NCR said in a release.

“As we continue to expand NCR’s software and services-led offerings, the addition of Freshop to our retail platform creates more value for our customers and new capabilities for NCR to run the store,” said Michael Hayford, president and CEO of Atlanta-based NCR, in a release.

NCR estimates buy online, pick up-in-store e-commerce will grow by 25% per year through 2025. Demand for these services increased when the pandemic hit, with third-party providers of online solutions helping fulfill the need. But with Freshop, NCR said it can help grocers capitalize on the growth in e-commerce going forward and reclaim their customer experience.

“We know that by joining the industry leader in retail technology, Freshop can scale more rapidly and be an even bigger force in the market,” said Brian Moyer, CEO of Freshop, Rochester, N.Y. “The team and I are proud of what we have built and are excited about this next step in our journey together with NCR.”

Freshop’s e-commerce capabilities will become a key component of NCR’s Next-Generation Retail Store Architecture, including NCR Emerald, which helps retailers simplify store operations and introduce future innovations in a timely and cost-effective manner.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed