Store Surveys Empower Hannaford to Make Data-Driven Decisions
CHALLENGE
Hannaford, an Ahold Delhaize brand, is a Maine-based supermarket chain with approximately 189 stores in New England and New York.
Accurate data is incredibly invaluable for all businesses. Working with erroneous info can lead to overspending, mistakes, chaos and confusion. When it came time to order fixtures and equipment for its different store locations, Hannaford was lacking the information needed to make such purchases.
Outstanding questions such as “Does this store really need new equipment or is what they have still in working order?” and “Where should we place our security cameras in every store?” caused confusion between the Operations and Facilities professionals. Not having this much-needed store-level knowledge and data also made it difficult for visual merchandising teams to ensure brand compliance in each location. By relying on spreadsheets, emails, notes and various databases, it’s easy to lose track of details without even realizing the info is missing or inaccurate until the time comes when you actually need it. That’s what happened to Hannaford.
Something that may seem simple, like a list of all your store’s addresses and contact information, can quickly become outdated and incorrect. Digging for details led to wasted time and manpower. Hannaford knew something had to be done quickly.
SOLUTION
Hannaford turned to AccuStore for answers. How could they go about collecting these store-level details as well as create an easy, yet secure way for the entire organization to access, manage and share that data?
Our survey teams got to work collecting thousands of data points such as measurements, equipment status including warranty and maintenance details, fixture counts and more. Using the gathered data points, AccuStore developed profiles of every store making it easier for employees to gain insight into each location. Having easily accessible site-specific details —housed within one highly visible database—keeps everyone on the same page allowing for smarter, data-driven decision making.
RESULTS
AccuStore survey of the grocery chain’s different store locations, along with AccuStore’s easy-to-update platform, a single source of truth was created. This centralized database now helps Hannaford’s teams:
- Optimize delivery schedules to meet each locations’ specific needs
- Reduce and optimize spending on store-specific equipment and fixtures
- Streamline communications
Hannaford employees can easily update data through AccuStore’s gatekeeper approval process resulting in a better understanding of all locations’ store-level impact. What’s more, the store reports a 3% increase in same-store sales.
Additional improvements from various Hannaford departments include:
- Fresh department accruals can now be assigned based on “department sales” instead of “current use of total store sales.”
- Store supplies can now be ordered for equipment and fixtures specific to each retail location.
- Retail management teams better understand the attributes within their areas of responsibility.
- Facilities associates use the database to determine when equipment replacements are needed.
Corporate office management teams can:
- Easily determine store classifications and contact information
- Ensure asset protection by using details from the database to determine camera placement
- Keep their attributes current and up to date through a secure, gatekeeper approval process, enabling better understanding of their impact(s) to retail locations
