TAMPA, FL — Festival Foods, a leading grocer, is pleased to announce its strategic partnership with Upshop, the leading provider of AI-driven retail software for store operations. This collaboration aims to revolutionize operations within Festival Foods’ entire Fresh perimeter, bringing associate efficiency and technology innovation to the forefront.
Upshop’s Fresh SaaS software suite is designed to connect and digitize workflows, streamline ordering processes and simplify production operations to meet the ever-changing demands of shoppers. The platform leverages powerful AI-driven forecasting and real-time inventory visibility for both raw and finished items.
By seamlessly integrating disparate workflows and data streams – such as pricing, ingredients, recipes, production plans and made-to-order tasks – Upshop enables Festival Foods to enhance operational efficiency while ensuring a consistent and guided user experience for associates.
This partnership decision is particularly timely for Festival Foods as the organization gears up for growth and requires systems that can rapidly scale. By implementing Upshop’s solution, Festival Foods not only simplifies the job for associates, but also fulfills its commitment to providing excellent service to its guests.
With Upshop, store associates gain the ability to achieve more with less, allowing them to dedicate valuable time to serving shoppers in-store – a mission-critical aspect for maintaining competitiveness in the industry.
“At Festival Foods, we are committed to making decisions that further enhance the experience of our associates and our guests. This partnership is about removing barriers to execution for our teams and simplifying the complexities of running a Fresh department so they can focus on delivering a memorable guest experience.”
Mark Skogen, CEO and president of Festival Foods
Ken Wicker, Festival Foods’ senior vice president of fresh foods, said the decision to partner with Upshop was an easy one.
“We chose Upshop as our partner because they truly understand our business, the intricacies of Fresh Foods, and the processes required for success. With Upshop, we have the confidence that our operations will be optimized and ready to meet the demands of our customers. Festival Foods has invested to build a competitive edge in Fresh, and Upshop’s capabilities enable us to scale those advantages.”
Ken Wicker, SVP Fresh Foods, Festival Foods
Shamus Hines, CEO of Upshop, expressed enthusiasm for Festival Foods’ recognition of the value offered by its comprehensive business approach.
“We built our software with the goal of making it effortless for associates and stores to meet the needs of shoppers. Moreover, we have assembled a team of experts who understand how to drive adoption in-store… This partnership with Festival Foods exemplifies our commitment to empowering retailers with the tools and support needed to succeed.”
Shamus Hines, CEO of Upshop
Through their partnership with Upshop, Festival Foods anticipates significant improvements in operational efficiency, associate engagement, inventory management and overall customer satisfaction. As it continues to grow, Festival Foods remains dedicated to providing exceptional service and an unparalleled shopping experience.
About Upshop
Upshop has been building store operations technology for 30+ years. They offer an AI-powered, SaaS platform connecting Fresh, Center, eCommerce, and DSD department operations to deliver a simplified, smarter, more connected store experience. Customers running Upshop realize significant improvements in sales, shrink, food safety and sustainability across the entire store. 150+ retail chains trust our software in over 30k+ stores, 9 countries, and 3 continents.
To learn more about the Total Store Operations Experience, visit https://upshop.com/, and watch customer testimonials at Upshop Total Store Operations Experience – YouTube
About Festival Foods
Founded in 1946 as Skogen’s IGA, Festival Foods is a Wisconsin family- and employee-owned grocer that is committed to giving back to the communities it serves and to providing guests with exceptional service and value. The company, which began operating as Festival Foods in 1990, employs more than 8,000 full- and part-time associates and operates 40 full-service supermarkets across the state of Wisconsin. Festival Foods is @festfoods on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. For more information about Festival Foods, visit www.festfoods.com.
