NORTH GROSVENORDALE, Conn. -- Xtra Mart is using Salient Management Co.'s enterprise performance management solution to optimize product mix, better allocate shelf space and measure same-store sales to improve profitability.
The chain, with 142 store locations throughout the Northeast, is experiencing rapid growth in the convenience segment and has recognized the need to have deeper insight into the growth drivers of their business. It chose Salient's solution to help manage its business for the optimal mix of products and services as well as overall improved profitability.[image-nocss]
The solution has the ability to drill down to the most granular level of detail without regard to hierarchy, the company said.
Previously, Xtra Mart used their own backoffice systems to generate business intelligence, resulting in static reports that took weeks to produce. Now, category managers and sales representatives can create their own queries and view reports within a few minutes, the company said, without requiring any assistance from the IT department.
Salient's solution is helping Xtra Mart precisely measure performance by tracking profit and loss, growth and efficiency at a detailed leveldown to individual products and categories. The solution will help Xtra Mart's managers improve category management, refine pricing structure and improve the overall success of in-store promotions. The solution will also help Xtra Mart's managers optimize space allocations within each store, help them see the impact of their decisions on same store sales and measure same-store sales year over year. They will also be able to see more quickly how new products are performing, and adjust product mix to improve profitability.
"Within a few clicks, I can collect scanned data from multiple stores, multiple categories, and multiple purchase groups, and then sort the data and add and delete specific items in a matter of minutes," said Kevin Pimental, retail automation manager of Xtra Mart. "Working with Salient's solution streamlines the data analytics process, especially the ability to manipulate purchase groups and specific items and review their distribution amongst all the stores. Although we could gather this information with our previous system, it was a laborious process that required viewing several different reports."
To smooth integration with Xtra Mart's existing POS system, Salient partnered with the POS systems provider to ensure the resulting solution would be built around Xtra Mart's specific needs. "We held weekly meetings with the POS vendor and with Xtra Mart to ensure a seamless and smooth implementation," said Guy Amisano, CEO of Salient. "In this way, we kept the project on track so the end solution would help Xtra Mart increase profitability and keep their customers satisfied."
Horseheads, N.Y.-based Salient offers business and government a solution for efficient management. Drawing on data from multiple sources, Salient technology measures how business activity creates value, quality, financial efficiency and productivity, while the user interface eliminates barriers to using this knowledge for continuous process improvement. The technology platform is a scalable, in-memory system for automated scoring of value added by business activity. The user interface provides a graphical toolbox for interactive, stream-of-thought data mining, visualization and root-cause analysis. Overall, the technology enables nontechnical knowledge workers to evaluate process behaviors rapidly, eliminate waste and optimize outcomes.
Xtra Mart, North Grosvenordale, Conn., is a convenience store chain with locations in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. It sells gasoline and grocery items and is committed to continually adding new services such as car washes, its own deli counters and in-store cafes with its own line of coffee.
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