Schnucks began initial discussions with Picadeli’s licensee about potentially bringing the company’s futuristic equipment to its stores about two years ago, but put the idea on hold until December, shortly after it began to gradually reintroduce traditional salad bars as the pandemic loosened its grip, Wexler said.
The grocer plans during the coming weeks to replace all of the 16 legacy salad bars it brought back with units supplied by Picadeli U.S., which use artificial intelligence to track sales patterns and determine when to order products to maintain freshness, Wexler said. The modular stations also feature covers that stay closed except when customers take items, in order to keep cold air from escaping; hanging utensils to prevent handles from contacting food; and digital tags with descriptions of each product.
“When you compare them side by side, the open salad bar tends to dehydrate product. It tends to leave it exposed to potential airborne bacteria. Whereas this concept has a unique airflow” that keeps food from deteriorating, said Wexler, adding that shoppers quickly re-embraced salad bars when Schnucks brought them back.
Source: Grocery Dive
Omni Talk is the retail blog for retailers, written by retailers. Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga founded Omni Talk in 2017 and have quickly turned it into one of the fastest growing blogs in retail. 