Australian supermarket chain Coles has partnered with artificial intelligence (AI) systems provider Palantir Technologies to improve workforce management and supply chain functions. 

As part of a three-year partnership with Palantir, Coles will implement a suite of workforce strategy and analytics tools across its network of more than 850 stores in Australia.  

Palantir's platforms will integrate data and provide the retailer with insights from senior executive level to the supermarket floor.

The technology will improve workforce planning and shift efficiency, and provide a deeper understanding of spending patterns to enhance customer experiences. 

The suite of tools configured on Palantir's Foundry platform will process more than ten billion rows of data, covering every store, employee and shift.  

This will allow store and department managers to make informed, real-time decisions to optimise costs and improve experiences for both customers and team members. 

In addition to workforce management, the platforms will support bakery production planning for in-store bakeries and integrate with Ocado fulfilment centres.  

Coles chief operating and sustainability officer Matt Swindells said: “In line with a broader data strategy, we have partnered with Palantir to explore opportunities to operationalise our advanced analytics smarter forecast and redefine how we think about our workforce.  

“We are excited by the capability the Foundry platform brings to rapidly leverage beyond dashboards and provide a suite of tools utilising AI to our front-line teams. This will allow them to respond more dynamically to ever-changing trading conditions and customer needs.  

“Our development work with Palantir has demonstrated how we can enhance our ability to ensure all departments are optimally resourced – to provide not only the best return on workforce spend, but to drive better customer outcomes in-store. The most exciting part is that we are only just beginning – with a detailed roadmap of work to deliver over the coming years in line with our Simplify & Save to Invest programme.”