DeCicco & Sons Expands Simbe Chainwide, Building a Physical AI Foundation for Smarter Store Operations

Following a 35% reduction in out-of-stocks, New York grocer scales physical AI to improve store operations, connect enterprise systems, and elevate the shopper experience

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- DeCicco & Sons has expanded Simbe's Store Intelligence™ platform chainwide following a 35% reduction in out-of-stocks within the first 60 days at its pilot locations. The expansion establishes a foundation across the family-owned grocer's New York and Connecticut stores, providing a continuous view of shelf conditions that inform the people, systems, and workflows leading store operations. By enabling teams to identify issues, prioritize corrective action, and verify outcomes, DeCicco & Sons improves operational performance while laying the groundwork for increasingly intelligent stores.

Known for its curated assortment and exceptional customer service, DeCicco & Sons approached its investment in physical AI from a position of operational strength. As the business expanded, leadership recognized that maintaining those standards would require an elevated approach to operations—one built on accurate visibility into what was happening across its stores. The retailer sought to establish a reliable source of store intelligence that could inform decisions and automate workflows across the business.

DeCicco & Sons selected Simbe, the physical intelligence layer for retail, to create that foundation. Simbe's autonomous shelf-scanning robot, Tally, captures detailed shelf conditions multiple times daily. That intelligence flows into the retailer's existing systems, helping teams identify and resolve issues faster while supporting applications spanning store operations, e-commerce, and business intelligence.

DeCicco & Sons achieved measurable results within the first 60 days of deployment:

• 35% reduction in out-of-stocks, improving product availability and helping customers find the items they expect.
   
• Up to 28% reduction in the average time items remained out of stock, enabling faster identification and resolution of shelf availability issues.
   
• Enterprise-wide access to shelf intelligence, with product information, aisle imagery, and location insights integrated through APIs into existing systems to inform e-commerce availability, supplier decisions, and store operations.

"Our customers count on us to have the products they love and a team ready to help," said John DeCicco Jr., CEO, DeCicco & Sons. "Simbe helps us deliver on both. Digitizing our shelves is foundational to our broader technology strategy, because it gives every system we run an accurate picture of what's happening in our stores. With real-time visibility into stores, our teams can address corrective fixes sooner and spend more time providing the personal service that brings people back to DeCiccos."

A critical element of DeCicco & Sons' success has been integrating physical intelligence directly into existing workflows. Rather than requiring store teams to adopt another standalone tool, Simbe connects shelf-level data to the systems and routines they already use. This approach enables associates to stop searching for issues and focus on resolving them instead, while giving business teams access to a consistent, accurate understanding of store conditions.

"Having better information about our shelves helps us take better care of our customers and our team," said Chris Dapolito, manager of DeCicco & Sons, Sleepy Hollow. "I'm spending more of my day out in the store, talking with shoppers and supporting our department managers. Those relationships are a big part of what makes DeCiccos special, and Tally helps us build on them."

Beyond improving daily execution, the expansion reflects DeCicco & Sons' broader vision for technology-enabled retail operations. By establishing a common intelligence layer across its stores, the retailer can extend the value of its investment to additional applications and workflows over time. The same intelligence that improves on-shelf availability now can inform decisions across merchandising, inventory management, e-commerce, and other functions.

"DeCicco & Sons recognized early that the future of retail operations depends on continuous understanding of what's happening inside physical stores," said Caitlin Allen, senior vice president of marketing at Simbe. "By connecting that intelligence to the systems and people running its business, DeCiccos is demonstrating how physical AI can elevate shopper experience, empower associates, and lay the foundation for increasingly autonomous retail."

DeCicco & Sons joins more than 75 retail banners across nearly a dozen countries using Simbe to elevate operational excellence and the shopper experience. With more than 3,000 stores under contract, Simbe is building the physical intelligence and orchestration layer that enables retailers to understand and operate their stores with greater autonomy. Its growing footprint spans grocery, home improvement, club, alcohol, and farm supply retailers, including Kroger, HomeBase USA, and BJ's Wholesale Club. As adoption scales, Simbe continues to expand the applications and workflows powered by its intelligence platform, extending the value of physical AI across retail enterprises.

Visit here to learn more about DeCicco & Sons' work with Simbe.

About DeCicco & Sons
Founded in 2006 by second-generation grocers John Jr., Joseph Jr., and Christopher DeCicco, DeCicco & Sons is New York's premier family-owned specialty market chain. Built on a rich legacy that began when the family opened their first store in 1973 after emigrating from Italy, DeCicco & Sons delivers an exceptional culinary experience across 12 stores in New York and Connecticut. Celebrated for its world-renowned craft beer selection, award-winning prepared gourmet foods, and humanely raised, antibiotic-free meats sourced from family farms, DeCicco & Sons combines traditional craftsmanship with modern food excellence. For more information, visit deciccos.com.

About Simbe
Simbe is the physical intelligence and orchestration layer for retail. Its vertically integrated platform combines autonomous robotics, computer vision, RFID, fixed sensing, and edge AI to continuously understand what is happening inside physical stores, orchestrate action, and verify intended outcomes. Every deployment expands Simbe's understanding of how conditions change, revealing patterns across entire store chains—from inventory availability and product location to prices, promotions, and merchandising conditions.

That intelligence powers a growing set of applications, workflows, AI agents, and connected devices, turning live retail environments into machine-readable infrastructure for increasingly autonomous store operations. Deployed across thousands of locations, Simbe empowers store teams and elevates the shopper experience in nearly a dozen countries.

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SOURCE Simbe Robotics; DeCicco & Sons