Coke and Wegmans Complete Test of Collaborative Store Ordering

MICHAEL GARRY

ATLANTA — Coca-Cola here and Wegmans Food Markets, Rochester, N.Y., have completed a test of collaborative store ordering in eight Wegmans stores that generated higher sales and lower days of supply in the test stores, according to Kraig B. Adams, director, collaborative industry development, for Coca-Cola. The test, which ran from last November through May, was part of the companies’ participation in the “New Ways of Working Together” initiative, which Adams discussed earlier this month at the U Connect conference in Dallas. In the test, Wegmans provided Coke with historical and daily POS data on sales of Coke products, helping the beverage maker to generate suggested orders for its account managers at the stores. In some cases, Coke found that out-of-stocks were higher in test stores, “but we could react immediately so that out-of-stocks did not impact the shopper,” said Adams. Overall, Adams said, the collaborative ordering test has so far been considered a success, helping to balance inventory to fulfill demand. “This was a great opportunity for Wegmans and Coca-Cola to get closer to store operations as a team,” he said.

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