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Albertsons gets sharper picture of perishables supply chain

Produce, floral departments now online with Procurant purchasing/order management platform

Russell Redman

September 29, 2021

3 Min Read
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Albertsons Cos. has implemented the Procurant One solution in the produce and floral departments across all its retail banners.Albertsons

Albertsons Cos. has gained a more holistic view of its perishables supply chain with the adoption of the Procurant USA’s purchasing and order management platform.

A cloud-based buying application, the Procurant One system connects all suppliers and stakeholders across Albertsons’ supply chain for perishable foods, giving the supermarket giant’s buyers more visibility and insight when placing orders and allowing automated fulfillment of routine orders, Watsonville, Calif.-based Procurant said yesterday.

In turn, suppliers get mobile, real-time access to buyers as well as to the end-to-end order process, from bid to payment, according to Procurant. That also translates into better information, faster issue resolution, smoother collaboration and improved food safety and traceability for all stakeholders, the global food supply chain company said.

Procurant One has been implemented in produce and floral departments across all Albertsons retail banners, such as Albertsons, Safeway, Jewel-Osco, Acme, United Supermarkets and Vons, Procurant said.

“Perishable goods are critical to our success, and the complexity of our business and scale of operations require systems that are aligned with the demands of a modern, fast-moving supply chain,” Rich Mendonsa, vice president of produce and floral procurement at Albertsons Cos., said in a statement. “From day one, Procurant has been a great partner and has worked closely with our team to bring this new system online, smoothly and in record time.”

Related:Schnuck Markets goes bigger with local produce

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The platform connects all stakeholders across Albertsons’ supply chain for fresh foods, giving its buyers more visibility and insight when placing orders.

For grocery retailers, the Procurant software lets users change and process orders from anywhere at any time, and prebuilt order guides provide simplified order processing, the company said. The system also enables retailers to collaborate with trading partners, track and trace products from field to delivery, build and tender loads to carriers, receive mobile alerts and visibility for updated loads, and negotiate with suppliers and confirm order changes on the fly. Users also get traceability and blockchain capabilities and can analyze spend with contextual reporting.

Procurant described its solution as the first new perishable goods buying platform for retailers in more than 20 years. Other food retailers and wholesalers using the system include Alex Lee, Lunds & Byerlys, Northgate Gonzalez Market, Cumberland Farms and Sodexo.

“This is a big day for Procurant and a great day for Albertsons Cos. and their network of produce and floral suppliers,” Procurant CEO Eric Peters stated. “From the very first conversation, we knew we had a shared objective to modernize and improve the perishables buying process. I’m proud of the work we’ve done to get them live and transacting in record time, and to help bring a modern digital procurement platform to one of the industry’s largest and most influential retailers.”

Related:Cub Foods eyes crisper produce operations

The nation’s second-largest supermarket operator, Albertsons has 2,278 retail food and drug stores in 34 states and the District of Columbia under such banners as Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw’s, Acme, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, Carrs, Kings Food Markets and Balducci’s Food Lovers Market.

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About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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