Stora Coop Visby's Journey to Zero Food Waste
Stora Coop Visby, a leading grocery store on Sweden’s largest island, Gotland, has set a remarkable example in sustainability by successfully reducing food waste and aiming for a zero-waste future.
Case Study
Stora Coop Visby's Journey to Zero Food Waste
Stora Coop Visby, a leading grocery store on Sweden’s largest island, Gotland, has set a remarkable example in sustainability by successfully reducing food waste and aiming for a zero-waste future.
Items with short expiration dates are located and marked down or repurposed directly. This means the staff no longer have to keep track of soon to expire items. The systems handle this automatically.
Markus Wahlgren
Store manager, Stora Coop Visby
The Challenge
In 2017, Stora Coop Visby faced significant challenges in managing food waste and achieving their sustainability goals. The store’s manual date-checking routines were time-consuming and ineffective, making it difficult to prevent food items from expiring and going to waste. The lack of a systematic approach hindered their ability to reach their financial and sustainability-related objectives. The store’s staff had to rely on gut feelings for procurement decisions, which was far from ideal for a modern grocery store committed to sustainability.
The Solution
Stora Coop Visby partnered with Invafresh to transform their food waste management. Invafresh introduced advanced date-checking tools and a user-friendly app that streamlined the process of identifying products at risk of expiring. The system was adaptable to changes in store layout and allowed for prompt marking down of items with short expiration dates. It provided valuable data for data-driven decisions on product assortment and purchase volumes. The store also collaborated with a surplus food collection solution, optimizing food waste prevention at an earlier stage.
The Results
Stora Coop Visby’s sustainability efforts yielded results, with significant reductions in food waste from 2018 to 2021. They implemented various strategies like selling imperfect produce, repurposing leftover bananas, conducting auctions for leftover fish, and upcycling products into valuable liquor. Their introduction of the “green box” for converting food waste into fertilizer closed the loop on sustainability. The store moved closer to its goal of zero waste, setting an inspiring example for sustainable food retail practices.
86% Reduction in food waste
86% Reduction in food waste
20% More revenue
from markdowns
70% Less time checking dates
Be the Best in Fresh with Invafresh
0
%
Food waste
reduction
$
0
K
Realized annual
benefits
10
%
Less time
checking dates
0
%
Reduction in
backroom inventory
0
%
More revenue
from markdowns
0
%
Fresh sales
growth
Book a Demo Today
Ready to optimize your grocery retail operations and improve your guest experience? Book a demo with Invafresh today and see how our platform can help your business thrive. During the demo, you’ll get a firsthand look at the power of Invafresh, and our team of experts will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.
