Finnish Grocery Trade Operator K Group Implements RELEX’s Workforce Planning System

K Group, one of the biggest operators in the Finnish grocery trade, has chosen RELEX’s workforce optimization tool to better match staff shifts to workload. The decision reflects the company’s strategic focus on both customer service and employee satisfaction.

The company sought to replace multiple legacy systems with a single modern workforce planning tool that would provide mobile functionalities for its employees. The system will be used in K Group’s grocery stores and at Kespro Wholesale, which is the food service operator of K Group.

Flexibility in Various Store Formats

Different store formats have different constraints for workforce optimization. RELEX’s system allows stores to modify how optimizations are carried out to fit their specific needs. The system also makes it possible for one K-retailer to manage multiple stores.

The system allows for centralized planning as well as local planning where needed. It can also take the complex Nordic workforce legislation into account in its optimizations.

RELEX was selected because it can offer forecast-based automatic planning and optimization, considering all the different store formats and roles.

“We had been looking for a good workforce optimization software in K Group’s grocery trade for several years. RELEX was selected because it can offer forecast-based automatic planning and optimization, considering all the different store formats and roles,” says K Group’s Development Director Nuutti Rantatupa.

“As a result, K-stores can better use forecast data when planning work shifts in the future, which will improve customer service and employee satisfaction,” Rantatupa adds. “This was an important selection criterion for us, along with ease of use. We will have thousands of users, so it is essential that they can easily learn how to use the system. The new system also allows for using mobile devices to communicate about work shifts. This is something that both employees and supervisors have hoped for.”

Using Data for Efficiency

By using the retailer’s forecast data, RELEX’s workforce optimization software will allow K Group to match staff shifts to workload based on incoming goods flow and customer footfall. This will help the organization to plan its staffing more cost-efficiently and smooth out workload.

“K Group is one of the biggest grocery retail operators in Finland, so needless to say that we are very excited to be working with them,” says RELEX’s CEO Mikko Kärkkäinen.

“Our workforce optimization tool has been specifically developed for the challenges of modern retail. We are confident that together we can build a process that benefits all of K Group’s stakeholders: the company, the K-retailers, the employees and the customers,” Kärkkäinen adds.

K Group
K Group’s business is heavily based on K-retail entrepreneurship. Independent K-retailers are responsible for customer satisfaction, and K Group operates with them under the chain business model. The K-food store chains are called K-Citymarket, K-Supermarket, K-Market and Neste K service stations. There are some 1,200 K-food stores in Finland, with 1.2 million daily customer visits. The division includes the operations of Kespro, the leading food service provider in Finland.

More information: www.kesko.fi