Hayleys Retail selects Blue Yonder for supermarket expansion

Hayleys Retail Holdings Ltd has selected supply chain software provider Blue Yonder to build and manage its grocery retail operations as the company prepares to open several stores across Sri Lanka, the two companies said in a joint statement.

The agreement makes Hayleys Retail Blue Yonder’s first retail customer in Sri Lanka.

Hayleys Retail, a member of the diversified Hayleys Group, said it would draw on the group’s strengths in manufacturing, logistics and services as it enters the large-scale supermarket sector.

Hayleys PLC Chairman and Chief Executive Mohan Pandithage said the company’s entry into supermarket retail was aimed at bringing its commitment to quality and reliability closer to Sri Lankan consumers.

The company said Blue Yonder’s platform would provide AI-driven insights across its retail operations and help deliver a consistent shopping experience as its store network expands.

The platform will initially be deployed for merchandise operations, covering suppliers, products, costs and pricing. Machine learning capabilities will then be introduced to forecast demand and help balance store inventories during seasonal peaks.

Hayleys Retail also plans to use the platform to connect data across merchandising and shelf space, automate routine store tasks and identify operational issues at an early stage.

As the network expands, inventory levels will be adjusted based on real-time sales and local market trends, the company said.

Blue Yonder President, APAC, Antonio Boccalandro said Hayleys Retail had chosen a platform in which artificial intelligence was built into core merchandising and planning operations rather than added as an additional feature.

Hayleys, which operates across 17 business sectors and accounts for about five percent of Sri Lanka’s export income, plans to scale the supermarket business into a national network without changing its technology platform.