Grocery and CPG Veteran & Former Whole Foods Market Exec Michael Schall Joins Shelf Engine Advisory Board

Schall brings more than four decades of experience in the grocery industry leading acquisitions, driving growth, and revitalizing supply chains

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Shelf Engine

Oct 19, 2021, 09:00 ET

SEATTLE, Oct. 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Shelf Engine announced today that it has welcomed longtime CPG, grocery, and foodservice veteran Michael Schall to its advisory board.

Schall brings over four decades of senior leadership and advisory experience with both brands and retailers including Whole Foods Market, Unilever, Wise Foods, and many others. Schall's direct experience overseeing sales growth for multiple CPG brands and innovation for Whole Foods Market makes him an excellent addition to Shelf Engine as he is intimately familiar with the food spoilage that currently exists within antiquated supply chains, along with the failure of legacy solutions to fully solve the problem.

"Shelf Engine's ordering technology addresses food waste in a way that I have never encountered in my 40 years of working in retail and CPG," Schall said. "What most drew me to this company and its management team is the fact that we fully guarantee that our retail partners will have 0% waste; many platforms are out there charging plush licensing and software fees, but Shelf Engine guarantees results by absorbing 100% of food waste, and that's the type of company I am excited to partner with to help retailers increase margin, reduce in-store and commissary labor, make more sales, and solve a problem that dramatically helps the environment."

Shelf Engine's automation technology applies advanced statistical models and AI to deliver the perfect food order, drastically reducing food waste for its retail clients while increasing gross margins and sales. Providing even more value and peace of mind, Shelf Engine's solution guarantees the sale of every item it orders by buying back all unsold products and virtually eliminating the retailer's inventory risk.

Retailers who utilize Shelf Engine's order automation solution reduce food waste by as much as 32 percent while benefiting from an average gross margin dollar expansion of more than 20%. Since its inception in 2016, Shelf Engine has helped retailers divert more than 1 million pounds of food waste from landfills. Over the last year, Shelf Engine—which is currently operating nationwide with retailers and foodservice companies like Kroger, Target, Whole Foods Market, and Compass Group—has achieved over 540% revenue growth while scaling up its staff from 23 employees to over 200.

"Mike understands first hand the challenge of balancing out-of-stocks with food waste and in-store labor in order to maximize both sales volume and profitability," said Shelf Engine CEO, Stefan Kalb. "We have a highly ambitious mission to reduce food waste through automation while delivering sales lift, margin expansion, and improved customer experience for our retail partners. We are delighted to have Mike on our advisory board and feel fortunate to glean the insights and experience from such a stellar leader in our industry to help fuel Shelf Engine's incredible growth trajectory."

About Shelf Engine

Shelf Engine forecasts and orders highly perishable foods for grocers at scale. Using AI, Shelf Engine's platform predicts consumer demand with high precision and automates ordering for every SKU, every day, in every store. Shelf Engine simplifies grocery operations by automating the purchase orders sent to suppliers and distributors, paying them directly for the products they deliver, and only charging retailers for what they sell. Shelf Engine's performance-based model reduces labor requirements, eliminates inventory risk, and guarantees profit expansion from day one. Launched in 2016, Seattle-based Shelf Engine has more than 200 employees and manages orders for leading retailers at thousands of locations nationwide.

About Michael Schall

Michael Schall is co-leader of the Food & Beverage practice at FocalPoint Partners, a Los Angeles-based middle market investment banking firm that provides advisory services to a broad range of companies seeking growth or transition. Prior to FocalPoint, Mike served as Senior Principal of Global Growth and Business Development at Whole Foods Market where he advised the executive team and collaborated with operating regions on initiatives including investments, partnerships, new ventures, product development, sustainability, and operational improvements. Schall has held prior leadership roles in organizations ranging from poultry processing, perishable foods, and sushi retailing to snack, natural, ethnic, and kosher foods. He has deep experience leading acquisitions, driving growth, revitalizing supply chains, and structuring joint ventures.

SOURCE Shelf Engine