Background
Since its inception, BLUE has helped companies become more agile by providing a label and artwork management solution that reduces errors in the labeling process, improves products’ speed to market, and significantly decreases the risk of recall and lawsuits from labeling inaccuracies and typos. That said, there’s a difference between a software solution that keeps a number of projects running smoothly and one that’s called upon to help execute the quick re-design of 7,500 Stock Keeping Units (SKUs).
Such was the case when Safeway decided to execute a complete re-stage of their private label brand portfolio, mounting the largest and most agile private brand re-stage in North America.
The Safeway Challenge
Private label brands represented $6.8 billion of Safeway’s $40 billion annual sales revenue. This consisted of 4,500 U.S. and 3,000 Canadian SKUs – involving an enormous number of design and production files that needed to be successfully and efficiently changed to minimize costs. In addition, with Safeway’s private label brands representing such a large percentage of their bottom line, this process had to be accomplished as fast as possible.
The BLUE Solution
Before Safeway engaged BLUE, they used a manual process that was repeatable, but not designed to handle such a massive workload. They quickly realized they needed technology robust enough to bear the weight of their ambitions: a centralized database for all assets, an automated workflow process, and online proofing to achieve quick, thorough packaging changes.
By streamlining and digitizing Safeway’s processes and creating a database in which assets could be organized and located quickly, BLUE primed Safeway to complete its private label re-stage in record time. Safeway was able to re-imagine their private label portfolio and accomplish a $100 million re-positioning initiative within their ambitious time frame.
The Results
So what were the benefits of working with BLUE? Safeway was able to quickly capitalize on changing consumer expectations by successfully re-staging their private label brands. As a result, Private Label Magazine voted Safeway the “Store Brand Retailer of the Year.” Today, Safeway (and now Albertson’s) uses BLUE to manage more than 1,500 suppliers who work on their private label brands. By playing an integral role in the largest and most agile private brand re-stage in North America, BLUE demonstrated its capability as the leading label and artwork management system worldwide.