Coupon Redemption Solutions

Challenge

Shaw's Supermarkets, Inc. is a midsize food retailer with 186 stores throughout the six New England states and serves over four million customers each week.  Its success and growth over the last 140 years are rooted in the ingenuity of two New England traditions: George C. Shaw's of Portland, Maine and BPM stores of Brockton and New Bedford, Massachusetts. Both Companies understood and applied the concepts of innovation, collaboration, quality, service, and value to gain customers and grow the business. Throughout Shaw's recent history in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, the company has grown and expanded through merger and acquisition by adding stores and adding customers.

As a result of Shaw's rapid growth, the need for a stronger coupon-processing partner became apparent.  It became increasingly important to improve the speed of the coupon receivable turnaround and track store performance.

Solution

Shaw's chose Carolina Services Coupon product to help manage their coupon receivable.  The APEX^® system offered a fast turnaround of their receivable, while the web-based analytical tools, Carolina Coupon Online and Chargeback Control, provided quick access to the latest data to facilitate proactive management.  According to Lynn Ameno, Manager Financial Services, "Carolina offered 20 years of experience and the tools to reduce our average days outstanding, track store trends, and automate accounting functions".

Impact

The result of the Shaw's-Carolina partnership has been one of success.  Shaw's has relied on Carolina for coupon redemption solutions for 19 years, resulting in 57.5% of their receivable processed through the APEX system thereby improving overall cash flow. In addition to coupon redemption solutions, Shaw's has benefited from Carolina's Bottler Recovery, reducing the risk for missed receivables. "We've been able to reallocate resources to other tasks, because Carolina's tools have made managing our coupon receivable much easier", said Lynn Ameno. 

APEX^® is a registered trademark of Inmar, Inc.