Southern Co-op boosts efficiency and on-shelf availability with AI-based assortment and space planning

Customer: Southern Co-op
Industry: Grocery / Convenience Retail
Use Cases: Assortment Optimization, Floor & Shelf Planning, Clustering, Automation
Location: South of England, UK

About Southern Co-op

Southern Co-op is an independent co-operative with nearly 400 trading outlets across southern England. Owned by its members and committed to sustainable business practices, the co-op operates in food retail, funeral services, Starbucks franchises, and more. In 2022, it was recognized with the Queen’s Award for Enterprise and Sustainable Development and celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2023.

Challenge

Southern Co-op aimed to elevate its range and space planning capabilities by transitioning to a modern, AI-powered system. Their goals included:

• More tailored assortments at the store level
• Increased automation and operational efficiency
• Reduced waste and clearance markdowns
• Improved stock availability and customer satisfaction

Legacy systems offered only limited integration between floor planning and planograms, resulting in inefficient workflows and suboptimal shopper alignment. The business needed an intelligent platform to support localized assortments, store clustering, and minimal manual effort—without expanding headcount.

Solution

After evaluating several options, Southern Co-op selected SymphonyAI for its advanced AI, ease of use, and end-to-end connected retail capabilities.

“We selected all of SymphonyAI’s space and range products because their level of advancement, automation, and ease was best-in-class.”
— Andrew Farndell, Head of Retail Commercial, Southern Co-op

Southern Co-op implemented:

• AI-based Assortment Optimization for shopper-aligned product mixes
• Shelf and Floor Planning to tailor layouts to store-specific customer preferences
• Automated clustering and planogramming for faster, localized execution
• Dedicated success coaching and implementation support from SymphonyAI

The rollout included extensive pre-implementation planning, consistent team continuity, and a collaborative approach that accelerated adoption across their merchandising organization.

Results

Immediate Efficiencies

• Replaced outdated Excel-based processes with AI-powered planning
• Significantly increased team productivity with streamlined workflows
• Reduced back-and-forth between BI and merchandising tools

Greater Agility

• Master planograms enable new item cut-ins in a few clicks
• Store assortments dynamically updated to reflect real-time shopper needs
• Stock levels optimized to reduce waste and prevent stockouts

Positive Business Impact

• Increased shopper engagement and satisfaction
• Stronger performance at the store level, contributing to member profit sharing
• Created a replicable model for other co-operatives exploring AI-powered retail

“This advanced platform is a game-changer. We can easily tailor assortments at the SKU level by store using AI-driven clustering. Productivity is higher, and we’re seeing real bottom-line impact.”
— Andrew Farndell

“SymphonyAI has been a true partner, helping us move at pace toward a connected retail future.”
— Mark Smith, CEO, Southern Co-op

What’s Next

Southern Co-op continues to expand its use of SymphonyAI’s capabilities, including:

• Automating range reviews across categories
• Enhancing shelf availability through capacity-aware planning
• Exploring additional modules like Store Intelligence, MDM, and AI-based Demand Forecasting

By embedding AI into everyday operations, Southern Co-op is positioning itself at the forefront of modern, connected grocery retail.