“Taking ending inventory has historically been an arduous and error-prone process dreaded by most team members. With Afresh, we have been able to increase the accuracy of our counts, more quickly pinpoint variances, and simplify the process for our associates,” said Kelsey Heinen, Director of Food Service at Heinen’s.
Heinen’s, the premium Midwest grocer known for its butcher-shop heritage and prepared foods departments, is extending Afresh to Period Ending Inventory (PEI) across its fresh departments — from produce and meat to deli, cheese, and bakery. The move puts Heinen's fresh perimeter on one AI platform for both ordering and inventory management.
Period ending inventory is one of the most time-consuming and error-prone recurring jobs in grocery: a complete, after-hours manual count of every item in the store, often followed by hours of manual data entry. Afresh replaces that process with item-level, AI-powered inventory estimates drawn from daily store ordering, shipment, and sales data.
Instead of counting every item by hand, teams review and confirm Afresh’s Intelligent Inventory, which is 10% to 40% more accurate than perpetual inventory. Using those estimates as the starting point means faster counts, more reliable inventory data, and more accurate financial inputs at period close.
“Taking ending inventory has historically been an arduous and error-prone process dreaded by most team members. With Afresh, we have been able to increase the accuracy of our counts, more quickly pinpoint variances, and simplify the process for our associates,” said Kelsey Heinen, Director of Food Service at Heinen’s.
Because Heinen’s was already on an Afresh store ordering system, rolling out PEI was seamless. There were no additional integrations or devices needed. Adoption was easy for store teams because it’s a workflow they’re already used to.
“The real opportunity in grocery AI isn’t any one feature. It’s a platform that handles the routine work end to end and leaves people only the decisions they should own. Period ending inventory is one of the clearest examples. With Heinen’s, we’re building toward a different kind of fresh department — one where the routine runs itself, and teams spend their time on delighting customers,” said Adam Litle, Chief Revenue Officer at Afresh.
About Afresh
Afresh is the AI platform for grocery — built for how grocery actually operates, from the fresh perimeter to center store, and from retail to distribution centers. The Afresh platform helps grocers make smarter decisions about what to buy, order, produce, and sell across the entire operation, delivering higher profits, less waste, and fresher food on the shelf. Founded in 2017 with the mission to eliminate food waste and make fresh food accessible to all, Afresh today supports more than 12,700 departments across 40 states, partnering with Albertsons Companies, Stater Bros., Meijer, Wakefern, and more.
About Heinen's
Founded in 1929 as a single butcher shop, Heinen's Fine Foods is a family-owned grocer known for high-quality fresh food, in-store butchers, chef-prepared meals, and in-store dietitians. Headquartered in Warrensville Heights, Ohio, Heinen's operates 23 stores across the Cleveland and Chicago areas and has built its reputation over nearly a century on quality, service, and its commitment to the communities it serves.