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Smart & Final enlists AI to improve workforce management

Warehouse-style grocer taps Logile for solutions to automate labor functions

Russell Redman

October 13, 2020

2 Min Read
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Smart & Final will be able to more accurately forecast sales and other workload drivers via Logile’s metric forecasting with machine-based learning algorithms.Logile

Smart & Final has sharpened its ability to forecast and manage labor needs across its store base with the adoption of Logile’s automated store planning and workforce management solutions.

Based in Commerce, Calif., the warehouse-style grocery chain has completed the implementation of Logile’s technology in all 256 of its Smart & Final Extra! and Smart & Final stores in California, Arizona and Nevada. Logile said the retailer has deployed its Enterprise Standards Manager, Enterprise Labor Model, Sales & Labor Planning, Forecasting, Staffing and Employee Scheduling solutions, all of which run on both desktop and mobile platforms.

The artificial intelligence (AI)-based solutions package enables Smart & Final to more accurately gauge its labor costs and impacts, improve labor usage, and achieve a higher level of operational optimization and visibility chainwide, Logile said Tuesday. The software supports also supports regulatory compliance, including predictive scheduling, which applies to several Smart & Final market areas.  

“Previously, Smart & Final budgeted and managed labor at the store level using a sales per labor hour metric. Now, Logile’s metric forecasting with AI [artificial intelligence] machine-based learning algorithms helps us accurately forecast sales and other workload drivers, from which we can develop scheduling requirements tailored to our specific labor standards and store characteristics,” according to Jonathan Gestine, vice president of customer systems at Smart & Final.

Related:Bashas’, Smart & Final employ cloud-based solution to support analytics needs

For example, Dallas-based Logile said its scheduling tool not only automates employee scheduling for Smart & Final but also optimizes the process by allowing the chain to use one scheduling system for all store formats and sizes across the states where it operates. Exception-based performance dashboards give store leaders actionable information, such as the variance across forecasted versus scheduled and versus actual hours, enabling associates to make informed, week-in-progress decisions that protect service levels and costs, Logile noted. 

“Logile helped us transition to an earned hours program by department that is transparent to our managers and encourages sales growth,” Gestine explained. “We are now scheduling associates across multiple departments at the task level, which has been transformative. Our managers have real-time visibility to make informed week-in-progress staffing and task assignment adjustments.”

Smart & Final’s retail base includes 200 Smart & Final Extra! and 56 Smart & Final stores. The larger-format Smart & Final Extra! locations blend a wholesale club-style store — but no membership fee — with a traditional supermarket in a one-stop shop, including farm-fresh produce and natural/organic options.

Related:Smart & Final promotes Scott Drew to COO

“Smart & Final operates very successful stores in states that have some of the most challenging, complex and fluctuating labor and scheduling rules in the entire country, including many new predictive scheduling regulations,” commented Purna Mishra, president and CEO of Logile, which specializes in store operations software solutions. “It has been a distinct pleasure to collaborate with the Smart & Final team to overcome their specific challenges.”

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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