Afresh Completes AI-Powered Fresh Replenishment and Inventory Management Solution Roll Out Across All Albertsons Companies Fresh Departments

Afresh now powers the bakery and deli for Albertsons Cos. in addition to the retailer's meat, seafood and produce departments

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Afresh, the world's leading fresh technology company, today announced the successful nationwide rollout of its Fresh Replenishment solution across the bakery and deli departments at all Albertsons Cos. stores, including Safeway, Albertsons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, Vons and ACME. This technology has already been implemented in the retailer's bakery, deli, meat and seafood, and produce departments. From cakes to flank steak, deli self-service bars to broccoli, Afresh's technology applies patent-pending AI and data modeling to align Albertsons Cos.' ordering, inventory and demand understanding for thousands of prepped, produced and transformed perishable items—addressing the core data challenge of fresh to match demand with what is ordered or sold.

This deployment marks a significant milestone in the long-standing partnership between Afresh and Albertsons Cos., which began in 2022. The completion of this rollout demonstrates Afresh's technical excellence and trusted leadership in fresh technology, and its role as a key partner in powering the digital transformation of Albertsons Cos.' fresh operations.

"Our partnership with Afresh has been a true game-changer in modernizing our fresh operations," said Michelle Larson, EVP, Chief Merchandising Officer for Albertsons Cos. "This technology has allowed us to provide our customers with an even better shopping experience while empowering our store teams to keep customer favorites in stock and ensure that we are offering the best quality, freshest products to our communities."

Tailored Solutions for Every Fresh Department
Afresh helps retailers address the unique challenges of each fresh department and translate them into tangible business results.

• Bakery: Many bakery items, such as bulk donuts, share a single retail ID, making it challenging to track demand, inventory and sales for specific varieties like chocolate, glazed or sprinkled donuts. Afresh simplifies bakery inventory management in a way unmatched by other solutions, ensuring the proper amount of donut varieties and icing is replenished at store level. Using advanced AI data models, Afresh can determine item-level demand, inventory and sales performance—even when sales data is aggregated into bulk totals—enabling the precise donut variety is ordered.
• Deli: Deli ordering tackles the complex management of items produced in-store, such as turkey sandwiches, which require accounting for the inventory and demand of both the finished sandwich and the ingredients used to make it. Afresh uses patent-pending recipe data modeling to address this challenge. This capability enables Afresh to excel at tasks from ordering a whole chicken—prepared in-store in dozens of ways—to managing orders for all the ingredients that make up deli combo meals, where forecasting demand and inventory availability is particularly difficult due to the substitution options available to shoppers.
• Meat and Seafood: Most meat and seafood products are transformed in store, which makes ordering subprimals complex. A single subprimal can be cut into multiple sellable items, such as steaks, roasts or fillets—meaning sales and inventory depend on how each cut is prepared. Afresh uses patent-pending AI models to connect these relationships, linking retailers' orders to what they sell. For example, Afresh maps ribeye steaks and roasts back to their rib subprimal, allowing the system to accurately track inventory, demand and sales for both to recommend the correct order. This approach helps retailers reduce waste, improve profitability and lay the groundwork for smarter production planning.
• Produce: Random-weight items such as bananas or melons make ordering produce notoriously tricky due to unreliable inventory data and high perishability. Solving this problem has been central to Afresh's success. In Albertsons Cos.' produce departments, Afresh continues to optimize efficiency, reduce waste and ensure shelves are stocked with the highest-quality produce—improving both sales and customer satisfaction.

In addition to in-store fresh departments, Albertsons Cos. went live last year with Afresh's DC Forecast across all fresh distribution centers. Buyers now receive daily demand forecasts to aid in their fresh decision-making and to complement the Fresh Replenishment solution running in every store department. Together, these tools extend purpose-built fresh intelligence across the supply chain, enhancing efficiency between suppliers and stores.

"Our collaboration with Albertsons Cos. has been foundational to our growth," said Matt Schwartz, CEO and co-founder of Afresh. "The trust and partnership we have built has allowed us to deliver a comprehensive, department-by-department solution that is truly a first for the industry. This scaled rollout is a testament to Albertsons Cos.' vision of a modern, sustainable grocery future, with Afresh as the engine of their fresh operations."

About Afresh
Afresh is the world's leading Fresh AI company, creating comprehensive and intelligent solutions that are revolutionizing the fresh food supply chain. Afresh is changing the game by helping grocers make smarter, fresh decisions and improving grocers' bottom lines while reducing food waste on the retail floor. Founded in 2017 with the mission to eliminate food waste and make fresh food accessible to all, Afresh is proudly serving national and regional grocery brands across the US. Today, Afresh has announced partnerships with grocers in more than 10,000 store departments and 40 states, including Albertsons Companies, Brookshire Grocery Company, Bashas, Cub Foods, Smart & Final, Meijer, and more. Learn more at www.afresh.com.

About Albertsons Companies
Albertsons Companies is a leading food and drug retailer in the United States. As of September 6, 2025, the Company operated 2,257 retail stores with 1,720 in-store pharmacies, 405 associated fuel centers, 22 dedicated distribution centers and 19 manufacturing facilities. The Company operates stores across 35 states and the District of Columbia under 22 well known banners including Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's, ACME, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Star Market, Haggen, Carrs, Kings Food Markets and Balducci's Food Lovers Market. The Company is committed to helping people across the country live better lives by making a meaningful difference, neighborhood by neighborhood. In 2024, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, the Company contributed more than $435 million in food and financial support, including more than $40 million through our Nourishing Neighbors Program to ensure those living in our communities and those impacted by disasters have enough to eat.

Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, Jewel-Osco, Tom Thumb, Randalls, United Supermarkets, Pavilions, Haggen and Balducci's Food Lovers Market are registered trademarks of Albertsons Companies Inc. or its subsidiaries. ACME, Carrs, Kings Food Markets, Shaw's, and Star Market are trademarks of Albertsons Companies Inc. or its subsidiaries. Albertsons associated logos, product names and services are trademarks of Albertsons Companies, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Afresh Technologies