Associated Grocers, Inc. of Baton Rouge, LA, completed its buyer training with the Herlitz Inventory Management team. Despite a global pandemic, two hurricanes, and a tropical storm, AG has managed to roll out purchasing for 114 of its 1,100 vendors since July 25 with more being added daily.
September 30, 2021, Cambridge, MA – Herlitz Inventory Management, leading innovator in scientific demand forecasting, replenishment, and optimization, announced that Associated Grocers, Inc. (AG – Baton Rouge, LA) has fully implemented the HIMPACT purchasing system and has successfully completed initial buyer training company-wide.
“The team at AG Baton Rouge has been phenomenal to work with,” commented Bryan Cox, Manager of Onboarding and Buyer Support of Herlitz Inventory Management. “Training their team of buyers couldn’t have been smoother. Each buyer learned the new system at their own pace. Since the training had to be conducted during a local Delta variant spike, AG wisely implemented strict safety protocols. Desks were set up in the largest conference room 6 feet apart and the desks were cleaned between sessions. We were able to divide up the training sessions into groups, which allowed for smaller class sizes, and it also allowed us to customize the session, Fresh vs Center Store, to each group accordingly,” continued Bryan.
For our customers with more than a handful of buyers, we like to train at least one person to be the on-site mentor. In AG’s case, a core team was the first up to the plate with their sessions completing nearly five weeks ahead of the other members of their buying teams. Next, the perishable and center store buyers completed their training sessions. Herlitz created customized presentations which covered topics and challenges relevant to each group.
“We are delighted and impressed that these teams have continued to roll out this new buying solution, adding a few vendors per week per buyer, despite both plague and flooding distractions,” commented Carl Herlitz, President and CEO of Herlitz Inventory Management Inc. “AG is yet another example of how smoothly such implementations can be when a strong and dedicated project customer management team helps drive the rollout.”
When asked about the HIMPACT training experience, Carl Marks, Chief Administrative Officer at Associated Grocers said, “We couldn’t be happier with the Herlitz training process. It was so easy. The Herlitz team exceeded our expectations and made the whole experience engaging and educational for our buyers.”
AG Baton Rouge now up and running with HIMPACT marks the third ROFDA (Retailer Owned Food Distributors and Associates) member. The Herlitz team is passionate about helping independent retail grocers, making ROFDA an ideal group to serve as a partner. The set of shared values coupled with the power and speed of the HIMPACT purchasing system makes ROFDA members and Herlitz Inventory Management a sensible partnership.
Herlitz added, “Our history with ROFDA goes back for decades. Many of the members are still using a legacy purchasing system that has robust functions but is not as high caliber or high functioning as the updated HIMPACT system. I don’t want to put the cart before the horse, but we may possibly be partnering with a fourth ROFDA member very soon and would love to onboard even more members.”
To learn more about Herlitz Inventory Management, visit the Herlitz Inventory Management website or call
(617) 871-9001.
About Associated Grocers
Associated Grocers, Inc. is a full-service wholesale distributor to more than 200 independent retailers spanning throughout the Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas regions. AG provides retail operations support and solutions to its members, which allow independent supermarkets to compete with the national chains while providing their unique hometown flavors and fast, friendly service. To view a list of Associated Grocers retail stores, please visit, the AGBR store locator.
Associated Grocers is dedicated to the Support and Success of the Independent Retail Grocer.
About Herlitz Inventory Management
Founded in 2009, Herlitz Inventory Management (Herlitz IM) provides tightly integrated Demand Forecasting, Order Optimization, Promotion, and Forward Buying. Herlitz innovative designs are an industry standard; used by thousands of companies to optimize inventory.
With end-to-end visibility and new insights, HIMPACT is uniquely suited to today’s marketplace, delivering optimized buying quantities, highly satisfied customers, and tighter inventory management.
