**London**: Southern Co-op has successfully reduced food waste by 16% in the past year through AI-powered technology, saving 3.1 million meals. The initiative optimises markdown strategies, leading to significant carbon emission reductions and enhanced sales performance, while supporting sustainability goals in the food retail sector.
Southern Co-op has significantly advanced towards achieving its food waste reduction targets through the implementation of AI-powered technology in collaboration with Retail Insight. This partnership has led to the adoption of WasteInsight, a data-driven solution specifically designed to tackle food waste in retail environments.
The convenience chain has particularly focused on a dynamic markdown feature that analyses various data points—including product types, seasonal trends, and customer purchasing behaviours—to assist stores in optimising the timing and pricing of markdowns. This approach aims to minimise waste while simultaneously enhancing sales performance.
In its announcement, Southern Co-op disclosed that the initiative successfully saved 3.1 million meals from being wasted in the last year, marking a robust increase of 16% compared to the previous year’s figures. This substantial reduction in food waste has also translated into a notable decrease in emissions; the retailer reported that its efforts prevented 3,083 tonnes of food from heading to landfill, which is roughly equivalent to the weight of 257 double-decker buses. This figure represents an increase of 426 tonnes from the previous year.
Additionally, the initiative has led to the avoidance of 8,323 tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions, underscoring the environmental benefits of reducing food waste.
Simon Eastwood, the Chief Operations Officer of Food Retail at Southern Co-op, commented on the progress made: “The markdown process is far more transparent and proactive than it was before. Retail Insight’s solution enables us to steer our markdown strategy toward a more optimised way of working, with clear goals and improved visibility into outcomes.” He further noted that in-store teams have found the technology intuitive, facilitating better compliance regarding markdown values and timings than previously experienced.
Kieran O’Brien, the Vice President for Customer Success EMEA at Retail Insight, expressed enthusiasm about Southern Co-op’s advancements: “It’s great to see the strides that Southern Co-op is creating on its path to a waste-free future. With optimised markdowns, Southern Co-op not only reduces food wastage, stopping perfectly good food entering landfill, but it’s also able to sell more while delivering value to its customers.”
The adoption of such technology not only aids retailers in managing inventory more effectively but also contributes positively to sustainability efforts within the food industry.
Source: Noah Wire Services
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