Scott Ceru, President, Retail Space SolutionsScott Ceru, President
Retail Space Solutions has transformed retail merchandising with shopper and stocker-centric premium grocery pusher systems. The solutions enable retailers to positively impact the in-store experience and improve profit margins.

“We are owned by one of Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio companies called Marmon Holdings and have been a market leader in providing merchandising solutions for over 25 years. Through the development of the first SpaceGrid I system in 1999 in collaboration with Hormel, Retail Space Solutions solved some important merchandising and operational challenges for the Hormel brand, their retail grocery partners, and shoppers,” says Scott Ceru, president, Retail Space Solutions.

SpaceGrid I led to significantly improved merchandising aesthetics for Hormel’s new category, Home Meal Replacement (HMR), by enabling grocers to shift the package from laying on its side to instead having it stand up. This dramatically improved shoppers’ ability to see the front of the package. This, in turn, led to a substantial sales lift for retail grocers in the HMR category, which fueled growth for Hormel and retail grocers. It also led to increased product facings, labor savings, and a reduction in out of stocks. In a short period of time, SpaceGrid I was installed in more than 70 percent of grocery stores in the U.S. and led to a revolution of push merchandising, which is prevalent across grocery and mass merchandiser retailers for both the strategic perimeter categories of the store and now with the center aisles as well.

The immense success of SpaceGrid I drove Retail Space Solutions to lead the next phase of innovation with its SpaceGrid II pusher tray in 2009.

SpaceGrid II provided improved stocking efficiency and reductions in shrinkage for perishable categories due to proper stock rotation. It is the only pusher tray available that has a built-in baffle and air management system, which is a significant advantage over competing systems.

Unlike its competitors, Retail Space Solutions ensures that merchandising systems are their primary focus. As a result, the company is able to build strong relationships with customers because they function as a partner that can solve merchandising problems and execute large, complex rollouts efficiently.

Effectively Merchandising Grocery Stores

Currently, Retail Space Solutions’ products are found in 90 percent of grocery and mass merchandisers in the U.S. The company serves all sizes of grocery retailers, from the largest mass merchandisers that have a national footprint to medium sized regional grocery retailers. They are especially proud of the ongoing, long-term relationships with many of the most recognized grocery retailer brands in the U.S.

“Our sales directors use their deep industry knowledge and consultative approach to truly tailor the right solution for clients. This enables us to serve every client with utmost efficiency,” says Ceru. “We might not be the biggest company with the most people but we’re strong and we’re committed to our customers. We’ll all battle every day to deliver something truly unique to the retail market,” says Ceru.

Innovation Holds the Key

Retail Space Solutions’ offerings are backed by a strong R&D process, supported by the Marmon network that includes many talented people. Marmon provides the company with resources in many different disciplines to innovate and improve the overall product. Retail Space Solutions works in conjunction and collaboration with its sister companies in the retail group to offer great solutions in just about every retail environment in the world.

We are owned by one of Berkshire Hathaway’s portfolio companies called Marmon Holdings and have been a market leader in providing merchandising solutions for over 25 years

Retail Space Solutions is excited about its new products that will be coming soon. Many of these products are being developed in partnership with large retail chains but also have a broad market application to help retailers optimize their merchandising in several new areas of the store.

While Retail Space Solutions’ primary customers have historically been large grocery chains, the company has launched some amazing products for the Convenience Store market that provide the same benefits.

“Our long-term vision is to diversify the solutions into areas like inventory management for addressing the retailer challenges with labor and supply chain exacerbated during the pandemic,” says Ceru.

Retail Space Solutions’ drive to bring innovative products is the factor that has made them a leader in the market. In the coming years, the company will translate its value proposition into all retail environments.