Upshop Solves Supply Chain and Labor Crunch with Itasca Retail Merger
Itasca Retail™ brings industry-leading inventory intelligence technology to bolster Upshop total store operations experience
TAMPA, Fla. (September 19, 2022) — Upshop and Itasca Retail announced their merger today, integrating Itasca Retail’s merchandise receiving, retail ordering, and inventory optimization and management — most notably the Magic™ Inventory Intelligence and Computer-Generated Ordering application — into Upshop’s total store operations experience.
With these combined capabilities, retailers can access one inventory record and unified demand forecast to order for the entire store in real time.
“Retailers have sought a unified inventory solution for decades. Having total store operations supported by one demand forecast and ordering system is paramount to retailer success going forward,” says Shamus Hines, CEO of Upshop. “With Itasca’s replenishment expertise and technology, Upshop will make that happen.”
Disrupted supply chains have escalated out-of-stock rates to record levels and retailers need reliable solutions to anticipate consumer demand while mitigating waste. Merging Itasca and Upshop automation, AI-learning, and advanced data science capabilities will tackle one of the most urgent retail challenges: improving on-shelf availability while reducing labor burden.
“Itasca has always shared the Upshop vision of a single inventory record for the entire store. It’s time this vision becomes a reality to address the global retail industry’s supply challenges,” explains Jeff Kennedy, Founder of Itasca Retail. "Connecting center store Inventory Intelligence, DSD management, fresh operations and eCommerce fulfillment is the game-changing innovation retailers need to compete.”
Upshop has been a visionary in fresh operations for over 30 years in more than 30,000 grocery and convenience stores. Uniting Itasca’s industry-leading and award-winning capabilities with Upshop’s robust SaaS-based platform will supply retailers with a single inventory record and synchronized demand forecasting for smarter, more trusted ordering throughout the entire store.
About Upshop
Upshop has been building store operations technology for 30+ years to provide simplified, smarter, more connected SaaS-based solutions for retailers and associates. The technology of leading products FreshIQ®, ShopperKit, Date Check Pro, and – welcoming Itasca Magic™ -- have synchronized to form a singular platform that delivers end-to-end visibility, increased sales, major waste reduction, and streamlined labor efficiencies.
150+ retail chain accounts trust our software in over 30k+ stores, 9 countries, and 3 continents. For more information, visit https://upshop.com/
About Itasca Retail
Itasca Retail is a leading provider of inventory intelligence technology that enables grocers to better compete in the modern retail economy. More than 15,000 workers, in over 6,000 stores, use the world’s first open inventory intelligence platform to manage great industry and economic changes including consumer shopping habits, labor shortages, and shifting supply-chain trends. Once the domain of industry giants, openly available inventory intelligence levels the playing field for grocers of all sizes. Itasca’s customers include Wegmans, Northeast Grocery, Raley’s, Kroger, Weis Markets, Lunds & Byerlys, Cardenas Markets, and Brookshire Brothers.
For more information, visit https://www.itasca-retail.com