
Heritage Grocers Group to Unify Pricing and Supply Chain Planning with RELEX
Heritage Grocers has built a family of grocery chains that connects shoppers to Hispanic culinary traditions, offering ingredients for cherished family recipes and cultural cuisine through real people who truly care. The company operates 115 stores and three distribution centers, managing approximately 20,000 SKUs.
By replacing manual, spreadsheet-based processes with the RELEX platform, Heritage Grocers gains a unified approach to retail planning. Forecasting, replenishment, pricing, and promotions all operate on a single platform, aligning pricing strategies with business goals and optimizing promotions for greater sales and profitability. This consistent data foundation gives teams full visibility into cross-departmental impacts, empowering promotional planners to account for supply chain constraints and replenishment teams to anticipate promotion-driven demand, minimizing costs and waste.
This connected approach leverages advanced AI to identify patterns across the business, such as seasonal demand shifts, customer responses to price changes or promotions, slow-moving inventory, and the impact of promotions on supply chain constraints. By translating these insights into actionable recommendations, the platform will enable Heritage Grocers to optimize inventory levels, pricing decisions, and promotional effectiveness.
'RELEX demonstrated strong capabilities in critical areas of our business, such as pricing, and showed us the unique benefits of their unified platform,' said Prabash Coswatte, COO, Heritage Grocers Group. 'Their advanced technology and proven AI-based applications, validated by conversations multiple customers, gave us confidence that this project will deliver the best results for our business.'
'We're excited to support Heritage Grocers Group in their strategy to unify pricing and supply chain operations,' said Mikko Kärkkäinen, Co-founder and Group CEO at RELEX Solutions. 'Our deep, industry-focused functionality will help Heritage connect their planning processes across different business functions, driving better overall results. Our proven track record of successful implementations means they can count on measurable value, quickly.'
About Heritage Grocers Group:
Heritage Grocers Group (HGG) the largest specialty, ethnic food retailer that offers an extensive assortment of both traditional and specialty grocery items to the communities it serves. With a unique customer experience focused on freshness, authenticity, and affordability, the HGG family of destination groceries incorporate freshly made ethnic foods, differentiated floor formats presenting distinct specialty categories and localized assortments that engage with each community. Headquartered in Ontario, California, Heritage Grocers Group operates in six states: California, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, Kansas, and Illinois, with a total of 57 stores under the Cardenas Markets banner, 29 stores under the El Rancho Supermercado banner, 21 stores under Tony's Fresh Market banner, and 7 stores under the Los Altos Ranch Market banner.
About RELEX:
RELEX Solutions delivers a unified platform for retail, manufacturing, and supply chain planning, enabled by proven AI technology. We help retailers, manufacturers, and consumer goods companies optimize demand forecasting, replenishment, merchandising, pricing and promotions, supply chain operations, and production planning across the end-to-end value chain. Companies like ADUSA, AutoZone, Coles, Circle K, Dollar Tree and Family Dollar, M&S Food, PetSmart, Rituals, The Home Depot, and Systemair trust RELEX to increase product availability, boost sales, deliver actionable insights, improve sustainability, and drive profitable growth.
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USA Today
a day ago
- USA Today
Unemployment among Black Americans is rising. Why that may be a bad sign for the economy.
The surge in unemployment among Black Americans could be a troubling sign for the economy, since this segment is often the first hit by economic downturns. While economists have viewed the U.S. labor market as resilient in recent months, some warn that cracks have started to emerge – including among the country's Black workforce. The unemployment rate for Black Americans hit 7.2% in July, up from 6.3% a year ago and 6.8% the month prior, according to the most recent jobs report from the Labor Department. The most recent surge follows an eye-popping 13% increase from May to June and puts the metric well above the total unemployment rate of 4.2%. Black women in particular have seen a dramatic increase in unemployment over the past year, from 5.5% to 6.3%. Certain states are also seeing exceptionally high unemployment rates for Black people, with some, including Michigan, hovering near 10%, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank. Economists say the surge in unemployment for Black people this year could be a troubling sign for the economy at large, since this segment is often the first hit by economic downturns. Other ethnic groups may already be seeing the effects of a weakening labor market; unemployment rates among White, Asian and Hispanic or Latino workers ticked up 0.1, 0.4 and 0.2 percentage points in July, respectively. Plus, the picture of a strong labor market took a hit with the release of the most recent jobs report, which showed payroll gains for May and June were revised downward by 258,000. "The Black unemployment rate is always the first to go up. That's always the canary in the coal mine,' said Gbenga Ajilore, chief economist at the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Why are unemployment rates among Black workers increasing? Economists told USA TODAY the recent job cuts within the federal government could be hitting Black workers especially hard because they make up a significant share of the workforce. Overall, Black Americans account for 18% of the federal workforce as of September, compared to 12% of the overall workforce, according to a May National Women's Law Center report. Black employees make up an even larger share at some of the agencies that have seen some of the most severe job cuts, like the Department of Education (36%), U.S. Agency for International Development (21%) and the Health and Human Services Department (20.5%), according to September figures from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. The difference is even more stark for Black women, who made up roughly 12% of the federal workforce, nearly twice their participation rate in the civilian labor force, according to 2021 data from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 'This has been a place where Black people are disproportionately more likely to get jobs – better jobs, well-paying jobs,' Ajilore said. Economists point to business uncertainty under the country's shifting trade policy as another potential driver, with companies pausing major decisions like hiring until they have a better understanding of how tariffs will impact their bottom line. A recent survey from the National Association for Business Economics found 1-in-4 companies plan to delay hiring or investments over the next six months. The Trump administration's push to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI, programs in the federal government, education and the private sector could also play a role in the recent unemployment figures, creating an 'antagonistic posture against the Black workforce" that may be hurting Black hiring rates, according to Andre Perry, a senior fellow and director of the Center for Community Uplift at the Brookings Institution. DEI programs often fell short of their goal to close racial gaps – Black Americans are still outnumbered 12 to 1 by White people in executive roles, for instance. But the pullback may still impact Black Americans' careers and the diversity of executive suites. USA TODAY previously reported that in 2023, as the Supreme Court struck down affirmative action in college admissions and conservative groups targeted DEI efforts at dozens of companies, the ranks of Black executives fell 3% from the prior year, twice the rate of White executives. "It's one of those things where I think it plays a role (in this year's unemployment data), but it's so difficult to actually pinpoint,' said Ajilore. "There's no smoking gun." And while Black employees have benefited from a tight labor market in recent years, he said they may now be more at risk of "last hired, first fired," or the practice of letting the most recently hired employees first, as the labor market cools. Which states have the highest unemployment rates among Black Americans? Certain communities have seen even more dramatic unemployment gains among Black workers. In Michigan, the unemployment rate for Black people hit 10% in the first quarter – nearly double the state's total unemployment rate and up 3.2% from 2020, according to the Economic Policy Institute. South Carolina's rate jumped 3% to 6.9% in that time frame. South Dakota, Alabama and Maryland had some of the lowest rates at 2.8%, 4.3% and 4.3%, respectively. 'The aggregate (labor market) numbers really mask what's going on at the local level,' Perry said. 'So you see in some places, Black people are in a recession by the looks of it. In other places, Black employment is faring much better.' Is this a warning for the economy? Elizabeth Crofoot, senior economist and principal researcher at Lightcast, said recent employment data is 'alarming." While she said it was unclear based on earlier figures if the unemployment surge for Black Americans was caused by blips in the data from small sample sizes, she said July's data paints a more detailed picture of declining Black labor force participation. "The labor market data from BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), it's volatile month to month – especially because those response rates are not as high as they used to be, so there is a lot of noise in the data,' she said. But "this is looking like an emerging trend." That could spell bad news for the economy at large. Crofoot said unemployment among Black people tends to rise first in a weakening economy, "oftentimes due to equity issues." She pointed to occupational segregation ‒ when different demographic groups are more likely to be concentrated in certain parts of the workforce ‒ as one driver, pointing to how Black employees have a stronger presence in some of the industries that have seen job declines such as the federal workforce, manufacturing (which shed 11,000 jobs between June and July), wholesale trade (which lost 7,800 jobs). "There are certain sectors of the economy where there are more African Americans ... and typically those jobs are also not the best jobs," she said. "Especially in retail, for example, or lower-end health care sector jobs." Ajilore pointed to Labor Department data that shows more than 300,000 Black women lost their jobs in the first half of 2025 as another sign the rise could be the start of a long-term trend. Rising unemployment for Black Americans may not be the only crack in the labor market data. Recent graduates have struggled to find work amid the rise of artificial intelligence and business uncertainty related to tariffs. And job gains this year have been concentrated in areas like health care; leisure and hospitality; and among state and local governments. Overall, U.S. employers added just 73,000 jobs in July, below the 105,000 economists expected. "The labor market is slowing down," Ajilore said. "It's one of those things where looking at Black unemployment rate and Black labor market indicators told us this story was coming."


Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Boston Globe
The vast majority of US adults are stressed about grocery costs, new poll finds
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While Americans over age 60 are less likely than younger people to feel major financial anxiety about housing, their savings, child care, or credit card debt, they are just as worried about the cost of groceries. Advertisement About half of all Americans say the cost of groceries is a 'major' source of stress in their life right now. Chona Kasinger/Bloomberg Esther Bland, 78, who lives in Buckley, Washington, said groceries are a 'minor' source of stress — but only because her local food banks fill the gap. Bland relies on her Social Security and disability payments each month to cover her rent and other expenses — such as veterinary care for her dogs — in retirement, after decades working in an office processing product orders. 'I have no savings,' she said. 'I'm not sure what's going on politically when it comes to the food banks, but if I lost that, groceries would absolutely be a major source of stress.' 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About half of U.S. adults say housing is a 'major' source of stress, according to the poll, while about 4 in 10 say that about the amount of money they get paid, the amount of money they have saved and the cost of health care. About 3 in 10 say credit card debt is a 'major' source of stress, while about 2 in 10 say that about the cost of child care and student debt. But some groups are feeling much more anxiety about their finances than others. Women, for instance, are more likely than men to report high levels of stress about their income, savings, the cost of groceries and the cost of health care. Hispanic adults are also particularly concerned about housing costs and both credit card and student debt. About two-thirds of Hispanic adults say the cost of housing is a 'major' source of stress, compared with about half of Black adults and about 4 in 10 white adults. Some people are making changes to their lifestyle as a result of high costs. 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An increasing share of 'buy now, pay later' customers are having trouble repaying their loans, according to recent disclosures from the lenders. The loans are marketed as a safer alternative to traditional credit cards, but there are risks, including a lack of federal oversight. Some consumer watchdogs also say the plans lead consumers to overextend themselves financially. LeSure said she's used pay-later services for things like new clothes, while she balances debt payments for a car loan, student loans and medical bills. She's also turned to them to cover hotel costs after being evicted. 'That's been able to help me stretch my dollar,' she said. Sanders reported from Washington. The AP-NORC poll of 1,437 adults was conducted July 10-14, using a sample drawn from NORC's probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for adults overall is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.


Forbes
2 days ago
- Forbes
CTV Was Supposed To Be The Great Equalizer
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Simply put, to connect with this audience, marketing must reflect the lived experiences, values and aspirations of its target audience. African American audiences also play a significant role in shaping CTV trends, driving substantial viewership and cultural influence across various genres and platforms. Like Hispanic viewers, they are not a monolith. Connecting with them requires more than surface-level gestures; it calls for a genuine investment in representation, storytelling and a deep understanding of the community. Too often, the default approach mirrors traditional broadcast methods: repurposing a general-market ad, dubbing it in Spanish, adding a few cultural signifiers and distributing it through a Spanish-language app. While well-intentioned, this rarely taps into the deeper layers of identity and relevance that multicultural viewers respond to. So, what should brands do instead? It starts with involving the right voices up front. 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Use performance data to refine messaging and evaluate emotional response metrics, such as whether viewers watched to the end. Did they comment, share or follow up? Optimization should include a combination of cultural impact and click-through rates. Hispanic Heritage Month is important, but it is not enough. Audiences notice when brands disappear for the other 11 months. Consistent visibility, even in smaller ways, signals commitment and builds brand equity. The most trusted brands in multicultural households are those that are present year-round, not just seasonally. Data is crucial, but cultural fluency comes from lived experience. Collaborate with partners—media platforms, creators and strategists who understand the nuances of diverse audiences because they are part of those communities. Demographics reveal who someone is; fluency helps you know how they think, feel and live. A Shift From Reach To Resonance CTV has made targeted media more accessible than ever. However, meaningful results emerge when brands shift their perspective on multicultural engagement from a box to check to a core growth strategy. Multicultural audiences, particularly U.S. Hispanics, are influencing content. They're shaping trends, redefining narratives and setting the tone for where media goes next. African American viewers are equally influential as cultural catalysts, with impact across every platform and genre. Brands that get this right will capture attention and earn loyalty, advocacy and long-term value from the communities shaping the future of entertainment and culture. Forbes Agency Council is an invitation-only community for executives in successful public relations, media strategy, creative and advertising agencies. Do I qualify?