MC, the retail arm of Sonae, has chosen Blue Yonder’s allocation and replenishment software as it seeks to sharpen its supply chain planning and improve how it responds to shifting grocery demand.
The Portuguese retailer, which runs supermarkets, hypermarkets, convenience outlets and health and beauty stores across the Iberian Peninsula, said the system will give it better visibility across forecasting and inventory decisions. According to MC, the aim is to create a more unif...
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ied planning process that can cope with uncertainty while supporting service levels across its wider retail network.
Blue Yonder said the rollout will use its Cognitive Solutions for Allocation and Replenishment, delivered through Blue Yonder Services. The company describes the platform as a multi-echelon inventory planning tool designed to help retailers move stock more efficiently, reduce manual intervention and improve the balance between supply and demand. Its broader AI offering also includes predictive, generative and agentic capabilities, which Blue Yonder says are intended to turn supply chain data into faster operational decisions.
Sofia Castro, head of supply chain at MC, said the retailer needed greater end-to-end visibility and quicker, more accurate inventory planning to deal with demand uncertainty. She said Blue Yonder’s AI and machine learning forecasting tools helped create a single source of truth across demand and supply planning.
MC, which says it has more than 1,560 stores and about 44,000 employees, has spent recent years positioning itself as one of Portugal’s most technologically ambitious retailers. In 2021, Sonae MC launched what it described as Europe’s first cashierless supermarket in Lisbon, underlining its willingness to test new formats alongside more traditional store operations.
Blue Yonder, meanwhile, has been expanding its pitch around AI-led supply chain transformation. Terry Turner, president for global CPG, life sciences and grocery at the company, said the MC deal reflected a wider trend among retailers using machine learning to handle grocery-specific challenges such as waste, inventory volatility and fulfilment pressures.
For MC, the expected gains include better stock placement, less spoilage of date-sensitive goods, stronger inventory turns and more seamless coordination between planning teams. For Blue Yonder, it is another example of how retailers are turning to automated planning tools as they try to protect margins while meeting customers’ expectations for availability and speed.
Source: Noah Wire Services
