Associated Wholesale Grocers Partners with IRI® to Launch AWG Partner Gateway; David Smith and Wei Lin Wong Comment
KANSAS CITY, MO & CHICAGO, IL - With a footprint spanning over 1,100 independent companies and more than 3,200 store locations throughout 28 states, Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) has a strong incentive to support its members. Looking to bolster its current members along with inspiring future growth, the wholesaler has partnered with solutions provider IRI® to launch AWG Partner Gateway, a portal that allows seamless collaboration between the company’s members and their vendors.
“Our members represent more than $23 billion in retail sales, making the collective cooperative the sixth largest supermarket group in the United States,” said David Smith, AWG President and Chief Executive Officer. “Our mission is to provide our member-retailers all of the products, tools, and services they need to compete favorably in all markets served. With IRI’s expertise, data access and advanced technology, AWG is empowering our members and vendor partners to leverage data and analytics as strategic differentiators for improved growth and profitability and to further achieve our mission.”
This new portal will utilize IRI’s Liquid Data® Technology, which will function to automate and connect the key forms that vendors use to communicate and sell to AWG, according to a release. The system will also automate reporting to AWG vendor partners as well as drive organizational and operational productivity.
The AWG Partner Gateway’s transformational capabilities will include enterprise-wide view, standardized category management and execution analytics, long-term demand forecasting, and automated vendor partner workflows.
“IRI is thrilled to be bringing a highly customized solution—rooted in advanced technology and our unparalleled data access—to the important independent retailer and wholesaler markets in partnership with AWG,” added Wei Lin Wong, President of Global Retail and Strategy, IRI. “The AWG Partner Gateway creates a best-in-class program to help AWG provide their vendor partners and members with accurate, real-time, and actionable insights driven by the most representative wholesale distributor data available.”
AWG’s new Partner Gateway will be rolled out in multiple phases, with the first one beginning in the second quarter of 2022.
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