ADC's 12th annual ReFresh Conference was held from October 7th-October 10th, 2013 at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort in Clearwater Beach, Florida.  ReFresh attendees represented eighteen retailers from across the United States.
 

 

The ReFresh agenda included FIM software presentations, retailer chaired roundtable sessions, a retailer presentation and industry update presentations.
 
ReFresh kicked off on Monday, October 7th with a Welcome Reception where attendees had the opportunity to meet and network prior to conference sessions starting.
 
Sessions started Tuesday, October 8th with a Welcome and Introduction by Steve Loveridge, ADC’s CEO.  Steve highlighted the conference agenda, introduced the members of ADC’s Retail Advisory Board (RAB) in attendance and concluded with retailer introductions.
 
“It’s my great pleasure to welcome you to the 12th annual ReFresh Fresh Item Management Conference,” said Steve Loveridge.  “We appreciate everyone being here and look forward to an exciting conference full of great discussions.  Throughout the conference please ask questions, as we want this to be as interactive as possible.”
 
Other highlights of Day One included an overview of InterStore 6.4.3, the latest version of ADC’s FIM software, presented by Robert Appell, Chief Operating Officer, and Mark Molter, Director of Sales Support.  This session included a sneak peek at the latest NutriGen Recipe Manager software in .Net, which is scheduled to be released in Q1 2014.
 
In addition to FIM software updates, the ReFresh agenda also included:

• “Regulatory Update: Key Issues in Food Safety and Labeling” by Erik Lieberman, Regulatory Counsel at the Food Marketing Institute.  Erik shared upcoming food safety legislation that will affect retailers, including the changes to Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) and the Food Safety and Modernization Act (FSMA).
• “Consumer Drivers of Fresh Food Growth” by Sarah Schmansky, Director of Account Services at Nielsen Perishables Group.  Sarah discussed current trends in the fresh food departments, including consumer trends and behavior.
• “Electronic Grind Log” by Larry Kohl, Director of Food Safety at Delhaize America.  Larry discussed how Delhaize America is implementing and using ADC’s Meat Grind Traceability software, including how the software is better preparing stores for transparent record retention and retrieval.

Retailer Feedback:

• “Very informative and one of the best conferences I’ve attended!”
• “Excellent opportunity to understand how other retailers are using ADC’s software.  The insight on how other retailers are doing things is crucial!  Thank you for the opportunity!”
• “Topics were relevant and timely and presenters were very informative.  Seminars were very motivating and on target.”  

Sponsor Interaction – This year’s ReFresh had 8 industry sponsors, including Mettler Toledo, Rice Lake Retail Solutions, Specialty Printing, Zebra Technologies, Bizerba, BRdata, Hobart and NBI Digi.  Each sponsor showcased the latest hardware and technology solutions available for fresh food retailers.

 

Information on ReFresh 2014 will be announced soon. For additional information, please contact:

Jamie Simon

ADC

+1.813.849.1818 Ext. 2238

 

ReFresh 2013 Dates Announced

We're excited to announce the dates of our annual ReFresh Fresh Item Management (FIM) Conference and User Group - October 7-10, 2013 at the Sheraton Sand Key Resort in Clearwater Beach, Florida.

Now in its 12th year, ReFresh offers grocery/supermarket, convenience and food service retailers the opportunity to network with industry peers and experts. ReFresh attendees receive a first-hand look at the latest Fresh Item Management (FIM) technology available, as well as hear new industry trends and information.

ReFresh attendees come from a variety of operational departments, including Information Technology/Information Systems, Directors/Managers, FIM Coordinators, Fresh Department Directors/Managers and Store Operations/Systems.

“We’re excited to be planning our 12th ReFresh conference,” said Steve Loveridge, ADC’s CEO. “As we do each year, we are adjusting the agenda to provide even more information to our ReFresh attendees, so be sure to mark your calendar. We look forward to showing all attendees how our solutions are delivering double-digit returns in both shrink savings and fresh item sales increases.”

Click here to find the latest information on ReFresh.

Recap of ReFresh 2013 

Attendees of ReFresh 2012 represented twelve different chains, across the United States. They spent two days sharing and discussing ways to improve fresh department efficiencies. Industry experts offered insights into industry trends and best practices:

• “Food Safety Update at the Retail Level: Expert Advice from the Dean of Recalls” by Gale Prince, President of SAGE Food Safety Consultants – Gale shared important statistics on fresh food recalls, as well as the cost and long-lasting effects of recalls. Gale also discussed important steps in planning for recalls; including keeping electronic records and ensuring you have a recall process in place.
• “Major Trends in the Supermarket Perimeter” by Anne-Marie Roerink, Principal at 210 Analytics – Anne-Marie presented her most recent research on shopper behavior, including the growing trends of shopper’s saving money by simply cutting back on their grocery purchases and thoroughly checking price comparisons for the more expensive food purchases, such as meat.

Partner Interaction - ReFresh 2012 had six industry partners sponsor the event, where they were able to showcase their latest solutions for grocery/supermarket retailers.  ReFresh attendees were able to interact and network with Bizerba, Epson, Hobart, Ishida Rice Lake Retail Solutions, NBI Digi and Zebra Technologies.

Want more information? Contact Jamie Simon at +1.813.849.2238.