Retail Planning

Vekia continues to focus on automatic replenishment in retail, a practical AI planning use case where machine learning supports store and warehouse stock decisions. The product signal matters because replenishment is one of the domains where planning recommendations quickly affect service, waste and working capital.

For retailers, the relevant capabilities are Automatic Replenishment, demand forecasting, store replenishment, warehouse replenishment and inventory optimization. The governance issue is how planners monitor exceptions, adjust recommendations and measure the impact on availability and margin.

More details are available on the Vekia automatic replenishment page.

SKU Science remains a useful Radar signal for lightweight demand planning and S&OP, especially for SMB, e-commerce and retail teams that need structure without a large enterprise planning suite.

The practical relevance is Demand Planning, SKU-level forecasting, inventory planning and planning analytics. For smaller teams, the first AI-enabled planning step is often not agentic automation, but replacing fragile spreadsheets with repeatable forecast review and decision routines.

More details are available on the SKU Science website.

RELEX Solutions introduced agentic AI capabilities for supply planning diagnostics. The announcement matters because it moves AI closer to planning root-cause analysis, exception explanation and recommended action in retail and consumer goods supply chains.

For Supply Planning, the practical value is faster diagnosis of constraints, shortages and planning exceptions. The governance requirement is that agentic diagnostics remain explainable and that planners retain control over high-impact decisions affecting inventory, availability and service.

Slimstock highlighted how Freedom of Movement uses AI-powered planning to support retail growth. The item is relevant because it connects planning technology to practical retail outcomes: stock availability, inventory productivity and replenishment decisions.

For Inventory Planning teams, the signal is that mid-market and retail companies are using AI-supported planning to improve everyday operational decisions, not only strategic forecasting. The governance focus should be planner trust, exception logic and measurable service-cost impact.

DOUGLAS is expanding its use of RELEX into additional European markets, including the Netherlands, Belgium and Eastern Europe. The rollout supports a more unified planning model across regional retail operations.

Swedish furniture retailer Mio is adding AI-assisted diagnostics and machine-learning forecasting through RELEX. The capabilities are intended to help planners detect issues earlier and move from reactive analysis toward more proactive retail planning.

RELEX Solutions published research on how AI is moving into core supply chain planning decisions as volatility continues. The signal is particularly relevant for retail, grocery and consumer goods organizations where forecasting, replenishment, pricing and waste reduction are directly connected.

For Retail Planning, the relevant shift is from AI as analytics support to AI as decision support for availability, margin, replenishment and inventory placement. That makes AI Governance important as decisions become more granular and frequent.

METRO is working with RELEX and Accenture to transform fresh-food planning. The initiative targets forecast accuracy, availability, inventory management, agility and food-waste reduction across global operations.

SymphonyAI announced its inclusion in the Forrester Retail Planning Platforms Landscape, reinforcing its position in Retail Planning, CPG Planning and AI-supported merchandising workflows.

The signal matters because retail planning platforms are increasingly expected to connect forecasting, replenishment, merchandising, store execution and analytics. For teams evaluating Supply Chain AI, this points to the convergence of planning intelligence and operational retail decisions.

More details are available in the SymphonyAI announcement.

SymphonyAI announced next-generation CINDE Merchandising Agents for retail, positioning Agentic AI inside weekly sales, promotions, new item launches and merchandising reset workflows.

For supply chain and retail planning teams, the practical signal is that AI is moving from analytics support toward workflow-level assistance. This matters for Retail Planning, Merchandising and replenishment decisions where recommendations need to be explained, validated and coordinated across stores, categories and supply chain operations.

More details are available in the SymphonyAI announcement.

The Body Shop selected RELEX to replace manual forecasting and replenishment processes across stores, franchises and distribution centers.

RELEX demonstrated agentic AI systems operating within no-code business rules to support unified retail and Supply Chain planning at NRF Europe 2025.

RELEX reported increased investment in Diagnostics, True Inventory and agentic AI capabilities during the first half of 2025, alongside customer expansion.

Petco Mexico selected RELEX to improve forecasting, replenishment, seasonal planning and inventory efficiency across 145 stores and two distribution centers.

Autone raised $17 million to expand its AI-powered retail inventory planning platform. The round included investors such as General Catalyst, Speedinvest, Y Combinator, Seedcamp, Motier and Financière Saint James.

The announcement is relevant for Retail Planning because fashion and lifestyle brands need faster decisions on buying, allocation, replenishment and stock rebalancing. Public coverage and company materials connect Autone to brands such as Roberto Cavalli, Courrèges and Benoa.

More details are available in the Startups Magazine report.