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Author: Levi Jiorle, ADD Systems
Retailers strive to simplify their operations in order to be as efficient and accurate as possible. Between shift reporting, pricing, inventory management and other considerations, C-stores have many moving parts that need to be controlled to generate optimal profits.
Sandri Energy, a diversified energy and c-store company founded in 1930, sought to find software that would not only manage its margins, but help it find ways to improve its operations through modern tools. After implementing the software, Sandri met those goals, and company leaders found themselves with an unexpected level of control over their work.
“In the first nine to twelve months, we really saw a significant increase in margin management,” said Erika Young, vice president of motor fuels and trade operations at Sandri Energy. “Because we were able to manage all the pricing and retail, our store managers benefited a lot.”
Young went on to explain the benefits of modern software. Many manual tasks previously performed by store managers are now done through automation. This gives store managers more time to focus on other tasks. And because the software allows store managers to spend less time in the back office, they can now focus more time on the floor, creating a great customer experience. “They were allowed to take ownership,” Young said.
Sandri also found that in-store scanning has benefited the company in many ways. Before the implementation, there were difficulties in accounting for all items in the store. Some direct store delivery (DSD) items were particularly difficult to track down. By scanning every item that passes through the store, inventory is accurate and supplier substitutions are controlled. The precise inventory also led to a decrease in Sandra’s reduction.
While Sandri sought to help the company’s managers be more efficient and forward-looking, he also wanted to improve his back-office operations. Implementing the software “has allowed them to work much more productively and efficiently,” Young said. Due to automation, back office staff have achieved greater efficiency with shift reporting.
And with analytics, Sandri leaders were pleased with the control they had gained over the operation. They found improvements in overall decision making.
“The analytics available to us have allowed us to negotiate contracts much differently than we did before,” Young said. “It gave us the privilege of negotiating better contracts and making better decisions. It also allowed us to offer promotional offers that we never had before due to scanned data. And this has allowed us to reduce shrinkage and spoilage because we now know which items sell quickly and which sell slower.”
One of the most exciting improvements is daily reporting. Young explained, “We receive alerts, notifications and reports that allow us to quickly respond to issues we may have.”
Some of the automated reports Sandra has set up help him stay within his margins. All exceptions are reported directly and the front office can be efficiently adjusted. Cigarette numbers and invoice discrepancies are delivered, improving the company’s price list and cost reduction management. For motor fuel, Sandra takes advantage of the monthly EPA and daily margin reports, saving a huge amount of time. Business intelligence reporting illuminated previously undetected problems, allowing Sandra to correct them, reduce costs and, ultimately, increase profitability.
Sandra’s story is promising for grocery retailers. Whether a company was founded in 1930 or is just starting out, market adaptability is important, and great software makes it easier. The software helped Sandra not only improve processes, but also enable and empower her team to be successful.
“Great software gives you so much control and management that you never knew you wanted or needed at the c-store level,” Young said. “It gives us everything we need on a daily basis, but the potential to constantly adapt and change for our needs has been an incredible tool for this company.”
To learn more about how the software can improve your work, visit addsys.com.
This is the second in a two-part series from ADD Systems. Read the first article here.