Raley’s taps CMX to optimize own-brand management

Western grocer Raley’s has sharpened management and sourcing of its own-brand program as an early adopter of CMX’s CMX1 for Grocery solution.

San Diego-based CMX said yesterday that CMX1 for Grocery combines workflow automation and intuitive collaboration tools to enable grocers to scale their private-label offerings, improve product quality, manage risk and ensure ongoing supplier compliance and food safety for fresh and store-brand items.

Raley’s recently went live with CMX1 for Grocery to manage its private-label portfolio across 10 categories and 60 subcategories for products sold at its 121 Raley’s, Nob Hill and Bel Air banner stores, according to CMX, a provider of enterprise quality management solutions (EQMS) for supply chain and operations.

“CMX1 for Grocery has taken what was once a largely manual process across multiple systems at Raley’s and enabled us to have a single solution with standardization and automation for how we manage our private-label program,” Elodie Thao, senior food safety and quality assurance manager at Raley’s. “With plans to expand our offerings, we knew we needed a platform that allowed us to scale our management and monitoring practices across product quality and food safety, regulatory and supplier compliance, and ethical sourcing.”

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West Sacramento, Calif.-based aims to expand the solution to its Bashas’ subsidiary. This past December, Bashas’ officially became part of The Raley’s Cos., a new company formed by Raley’s acquisition of the Bashas’ Family of Stores. The deal, announced in October, created a grocer with more than 230 stores in California, Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico.

“From ease of access and use, including for our suppliers, to increased organization and efficiency, CMX1 allows us to focus on what matters most to our business — our commitment to delivering the highest levels of quality to our customers,” Thao added.

CMX1 is designed for specifically for grocery retail businesses, CMX noted. The new private-label product management solution streamlines and automates the end-to-end process for vetting and onboarding suppliers, authoring product specifications, and approving facilities for production. The company said it also allows grocers to collaborate with suppliers and labeling and packaging designers to bring private-brand products to market faster and more efficiently via easy-to-use digital forms, built-in and fully customizable workflow automation, notifications and status tracking.

In addition, CMX1 for Grocery provides supplier audit, document and certification management support to facilitate the monitoring of quality and regulatory compliance, CMX said.

Related:Private brand sales hit $199 billion in 2021

“The continued rise in popularity of private-label offerings has greatly helped grocers drive banner loyalty, increase basket growth and elevate the shopper experience,” stated Bert Clement, CEO of CMX. “Coupled with all of the recent supply-chain issues and the upheaval caused by the pandemic, the time is right for a fully digital, integrated approach to quality and private-label management. CMX1 for Grocery is designed to help grocers scale their own brand programs, ensure quality and food safety, and increase profitability.”