How Génere Food Corp. Reduced Inventory by 49% | BFC Software
Génere Food Corp., a wholesale grocer serving over 600 customers in New England, implemented HIMPACT® software to improve inventory efficiency, resulting in a 16% inventory reduction that freed warehouse space to buy directly from manufacturers, increased customer service by over 6%, and achieved an effective 49% overall inventory reduction while enabling the owner to maintain direct control over purchasing despite rapid company growth.
Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Génere is a wholesale grocer serving more than 600 customers across over 800 stores throughout Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Connecticut. Génere Food Corp. distributes to stores which represent supermarket chains, independent grocers, and members of voluntary cooperatives.
The Need
Génere has seen double digit sales growth almost every year since its founding in 2003. In order to keep up with such rapid growth, Génere has moved or expanded its warehouse location seven times over those years. Once again stuck in a “tight” space and wanting to take purchasing to the next level, HIMPACT® was selected as the tool to increase inventory efficiency, customer service and sales.
“A big impression I had after installing HIMPACT wasn’t so much the orders it was building for me, but rather the orders it wasn’t building."
— Jose Génere, President and Owner of Génere Food Corp
The Result
José Génere is not only the founder but, as is typical for many founders/owners, he still directly manages the buying department. He was growing concerned that he would have to hand off this function to a new manager as the other responsibilities of his position were building. For José, one of the first benefits of HIMPACT is that he can continue to keep a finger on the pulse of his inventory by continuing to buy a few vendor lines himself. Additionally, buying time has significantly reduced because of HIMPACT allowing time to prepare for promotions and deals.
The second benefit is that Génere can now buy directly from manufacturers, instead of via other wholesalers. Because of HIMPACT’s 16% inventory reduction, the company freed up much needed warehouse space so that it could accommodate the minimum order quantities of the manufacturers, thus allowing Génere Foods to be more price competitive.
In the same time that inventories fell by 16%, customer service increased by over 6%, an effective 49% inventory reduction! “Now with an even stronger competitive advantage on price and customer service, we expect another great year of growth,” says José Génere.
“A big impression I had after installing HIMPACT wasn’t so much the orders it was building for me, but rather the orders it wasn’t building. For one supplier in particular, I had the practice of buying a truck-load every 10 days. HIMPACT showed me, with poignant clarity, that I could actually wait a month before I would need to order again.”
Génere reduced their inventory by 16%, providing an even stronger competitive advantage on price.
Génere increased their customer service by over 6%, exposing opportunity for continued growth.
The BFC Difference
BFC Software is a food-focused solutions platform—from forecasting and warehouse operations to the final mile. Designed to evolve with industry demands, BFC helps customers stay ahead with data-driven insights that boost efficiency, improve performance, and optimize operations.
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