Viva Energy Australia Selects Blue Yonder To Fuel Strategic Approach to Convenience Store Shopping Experience

Leading Australian energy company will utilize Blue Yonder’s AI-powered solutions to transform OTR Group’s in-store operations

MELBOURNE, Australia & DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Convenience stores that offer fuel and electric vehicle (EV) charging stations play a crucial role in influencing where consumers choose to stop while on the road. Success depends on understanding customer needs, localized assortment of convenience offerings, and adaptable inventory to ensure efficient and profitable operations. That is why OTR Group, Australia’s largest convenience store operator, part of the Viva Energy Australia group of companies, has chosen to digitally transform its in-store experience with Blue Yonder. OTR Group will implement Blue Yonder Category Management solution and demand planning capabilities to elevate its space planning, demand forecasting, and fulfilment.

Viva Energy helps Australians reach their destination by refining, importing, and delivering the energy that they need to get there. In addition to supplying fuel, products and services, Viva Energy, through OTR Group, operates approximately 1,000 service stations across Australia, including Shell Reddy Express, On The Run (OTR) and Store24 sites, as well as 100 quick service restaurants and 275 Smokemart and Giftbox (SMGB) sites, and runs the manufacturing and supply of Krispy Kreme in South Australia.

With such rapid growth, OTR Group wanted to be able to efficiently range its assortment of convenience offerings at each location and predict the demand across its store network, considering each location’s unique needs and demographics. As such, it engaged the global supply chain digital transformation leader, Blue Yonder, to address these needs.

Thanks to Blue Yonder, OTR Group will leverage artificial intelligence (AI), comprehensive category management, and platform integration capabilities to:

• Enable more accurate forecasting by SKU, store, and day–at scale.
• Drive optimized inventory levels through store segmentation and calculation of safety stock.
• Automatically align inventory management with consumer preferences to enhance the in-store experience.
• Better manage the impact of new items, discontinuations, or assortment changes on overall demand.
• Expand the range of items offered to better align with changing consumer expectations.

Natalie Dalbo, chief customer officer, OTR Group, said, “Following the strategic acquisition of convenience store networks from Coles and the more recent acquisition of OTR and SMGB, there was a need to standardize range management, demand forecasting and fulfilment processes on a single platform for our Category and Supply Chain teams. We believe that this whole company view of demand will enable us to switch sources and modes of supply to optimize the mix and service to stores.

“We needed to replace legacy systems with integrated solutions that could meet current and future needs to optimize end-to-end product availability across our store network. Blue Yonder solutions met all our requirements, both from a focused capability and a broader technology perspective. We look forward to collaborating with the Blue Yonder team to help us realize our goal of being the leading convenience and mobility retailer in Australia.”

Blue Yonder’s flexible solutions, embedded with AI and machine learning (ML), will help OTR Group seamlessly optimize the shopping experience. OTR Group will also be able to accelerate its in-store business operations through a model that supports rapid implementations.

“OTR Group is leading a game-changing transformation of its convenience retail network, focused on customer centricity, and we are proud to welcome them among our customers. Blue Yonder solutions for retailers are engineered to scale, perform, and operate under the highest volumes seen on the market. They transform store operations with a composable approach, delivering rapid time-to-market, enhancing scheduling and automation tasks like inventory management and planogram updates, which are essential for increasing customer satisfaction, advancing store operations, and driving profitability and rapid return. We cannot wait to support Viva Energy in accelerating their ongoing digital transformation,” said Antonio Boccalandro, president, APAC, Blue Yonder.

Additional Resources:

• Learn more about Blue Yonder Category Management and retail planning solutions

About Viva Energy

Viva Energy Australia (ASX: VEA) is a leading convenience retailer, commercial services and energy infrastructure business who supply approximately a quarter of the country’s liquid fuel requirements. It is the exclusive supplier of high-quality Shell fuels and lubricants in Australia through an extensive network of more than 1,300 service stations across the country. Viva Energy owns and operates the strategically located Geelong Refinery in Victoria, and operates bulk fuels, aviation, bitumen, marine, chemicals, polymers, and lubricants businesses supported by more than 20 terminals and 60 airports and airfields across the country. For more information: vivaenergy.com.au

About Blue Yonder

Blue Yonder is the AI company for supply chain. As the world leader in end-to-end digital supply chain transformation, Blue Yonder offers a unified, AI-driven platform and multi-tier network that empowers businesses to operate sustainably, scale profitably, and delight their customers—all at machine speed. A pioneer in applying AI solutions to the most complicated supply chain challenges, Blue Yonder’s modern innovations and unmatched industry expertise help more than 3,000 retailers, manufacturers, and logistics service providers confidently navigate supply chain complexity and disruption. blueyonder.com

“Blue Yonder” is a trademark or registered trademark of Blue Yonder Group, Inc. Any trade, product or service name referenced in this document using the name “Blue Yonder” is a trademark and/or property of Blue Yonder Group, Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of the companies with which they are associated.