Marché Leo's, a fast-growing food and grocery chain in Canada managing approximately 10,000 SKUs across grocery, beverage, ready-to-eat, household, and health & beauty categories, implemented LEAFIO Shelf Efficiency to replace a fully manual planogram process that required two weeks of preparation per new store opening. Following deployment, all planograms for shelf-stable products across the network were digitized, the first Toronto location was opened using 100% LEAFIO-generated planograms from day one, and the merchandising workflow shifted from decentralized manual execution to centrally managed, ERP-integrated automation. With two additional store openings in the active pipeline and plans to nearly double its store footprint, Marché Leo's now uses LEAFIO Shelf Efficiency as the core platform for every new location launch.
Results at a Glance
With plans to expand the chain by nearly double over the next year, Marché Leo's needed to innovate and automate its merchandising processes to scale efficiently and maintain exceptional service at every store.
To achieve this, Marché Leo's management chose LEAFIO AI, a leader in retail automation, and its Shelf Efficiency solution, which has a proven track record of highly efficient planogram management.
The Challenge: Manual Planograms and a Two-Week Store Opening Process with No Scalable Solution
Prior to implementation, Marché Leo's faced challenges with streamlining workflows and optimizing their systems. The company’s previous setup often led to delays and inconsistencies, impacting operational efficiency and overall customer satisfaction.
The specific challenges included:
- Lack of critical resources: staff, system knowledge, and time
- Non-standardized merchandising processes
- Two weeks were required to stock shelves before new store openings
- Need for a universal and capable tool for communication between the central office and employees
- Difficulty defining the assortment for new stores
- Challenges understanding how many SKUs could be placed on shelves and where
Why Marché Leo’s Chose LEAFIO Shelf Efficiency for Canadian Grocery Retail
The project's primary goal was to create planograms for a new store, helping to define the assortment and optimize shelf space. Marché Leo's had maintained a stable number of stores for some time, but with one new location opened and two more on the way, the company plans to nearly double its footprint within the year. Achieving this growth would be significantly more challenging without automation.
The project’s specific objectives included:
- Enhancing the customer experience by creating a visually appealing shopping environment that simplifies product discovery.
- Automatically creating and quickly implementing effective planograms.
- Tracking and monitoring planogram execution to ensure consistent layout and presentation across all locations.
- Accelerating preparation for new store openings by efficiently planning macro- and micro-space.
- Achieving cost savings through effective merchandise display management, reducing labor costs, and minimizing waste.
Implementation: From ERP Integration to Full Planogram Automation in 4 Stages
The project was implemented in several stages according to the LEAFIO AI methodology.
Stage 1: Integration of LEAFIO Shelf Efficiency with the ERP system and data import from the national product characteristic catalog for prompt automatic planogram generation.
Stage 2: Soft launch of LEAFIO AI software on a limited number of SKUs.
Stage 3: Scaling the system for a defined range of locations and SKUs.
Stage 4: The client is transferred to the Customer Success Team for further assistance and the most profitable utilization of the system.
“The implementation process was smooth and efficient, with excellent support from LEAFIO’s team at every stage. Communication was clear, and we felt well-guided through each step. Overall, the experience has been positive, and we appreciate the professionalism and responsiveness displayed throughout,” said Neil Randhawa, Director of Purchasing at Marché Leo's.
Results: Digitized Planograms, Faster Store Openings, and a Platform Built for Expansion
Focusing on planogram creation and execution, the project yielded the following outcomes:
- Automated planogram creation: The implementation established a data-based process for creating automated planograms.
- Improved planogram execution: The system enhanced planogram execution with the help of the LEAFIO AI mobile application for store employees.
- Organized assortment management: More organized assortment management makes it easier to define and arrange the assortment for new stores.
- Efficient new store openings: The retailer successfully opened a new store in Toronto using the solution, with plans to open more locations faster and more efficiently.
- Digitized planograms: All planograms for shelf-stable products were digitized with LEAFIO Shelf Efficiency.
“Since the implementation, we have seen significant improvements in workflow efficiency, accuracy, and response times. The new system has enabled us to provide a more seamless experience for both our teams. We are already seeing positive results, and the impact on our operations has been transformative,” adds Neil Randhawa.
What’s Next: Every New Marché Leo’s Store Opens on LEAFIO From Day One
LEAFIO AI and Marché Leo's partnership continues flourishing, with the client being handed over to the Customer Success Department. This team aims to provide technical support and assist in the most beneficial and effective system utilization.
The customer expressed interest in strengthening the partnership through additional training on the mobile application. They also highlighted the value of having a dedicated contact for technical support, which would enhance efficiency and ensure smoother workflows.
All planograms for new stores will now be created using the LEAFIO Shelf Efficiency system. The mobile application will allow Marché Leo's to easily control their execution, which is extremely important for a growing chain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Marché Leo's integrated LEAFIO Shelf Efficiency directly with their ERP system and Canada's national product characteristic catalog. This connection enables automatic planogram generation populated with real product dimensions, images, and placement data — replacing a fully manual process that previously required significant staff time and specialist knowledge for every new planogram or store opening.
Before LEAFIO, Marché Leo's had no digital planogram system. Preparing a new store for opening required two weeks of manual shelf work, the central office had no reliable tool to communicate planogram standards to store teams, and there was no way to assess how many SKUs could fit on a given shelf section. The process was entirely dependent on individual judgment with no standardization across locations.
Marché Leo's uses LEAFIO Shelf Efficiency planogram software — a cloud-based planogram and space planning platform that includes automated planogram generation, floor space planning, ERP integration, in-store mobile execution, and category-level analytics. It is integrated with the Canadian national product catalog and serves as the central merchandising platform for all Marché Leo's store locations.
Every new Marché Leo's location is now opened using planograms built entirely within LEAFIO Shelf Efficiency. The first new Toronto store was launched with 100% LEAFIO-generated planograms from day one, establishing a repeatable process that the chain now applies to every subsequent opening. With two additional locations in the active pipeline, LEAFIO provides the scalable infrastructure that makes rapid expansion operationally viable.
Following implementation, all planograms for shelf-stable products across the Marché Leo's network were digitized, the manual two-week store preparation process was replaced with an automated, planogram-first workflow, and store teams gained access to a mobile app for real-time planogram execution guided by the central office. The Director of Purchasing described the impact as transformative for workflow efficiency, accuracy, and response times across the organization.
