Retail Business Review: Specials Magazine

Fresh and frozen foods move through retail supply chains where timing, visibility and coordination directly influence product availability and customer experience. For retailers managing complex networks of stores, distribution centers and e-commerce channels, maintaining the right inventory in the right location has become challenging. Americold helps address these demands through an integrated cold-chain ecosystem that combines temperature-controlled logistics, transportation, automation and data-driven capabilities to support more responsive retail operations. For more than a century, Americold has supported the food supply chain through temperature-controlled logistics solutions designed to help retailers store, handle and distribute temperature-sensitive products efficiently. Today, the company operates more than 230 facilities with approximately 1.5 billion refrigerated cubic feet of storage capacity across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and South America. Its network is designed to help retailers improve inventory visibility, synchronize product movement and maintain consistent execution across grocery, convenience, foodservice and omnichannel operations. Retailers increasingly require cold-chain partners that can support faster replenishment, improve shelf availability and respond to demand volatility. Americold helps customers manage these challenges by connecting warehousing, transportation and operational services across a unified network. This approach enables retailers to coordinate product flow from inbound receiving and storage to order preparation and final distribution while reducing unnecessary handling and improving supply chain efficiency. Connecting Warehousing, Transportation and Data Americold combines temperature-controlled warehousing, transportation management and value-added services into an integrated system that supports retail distribution networks from production facilities to stores and fulfillment centers. Its facilities are positioned near key population centers, transportation routes, ports and distribution hubs, enabling retailers to support faster replenishment, help reduce lead times and respond more effectively to changing demand. Americold’s transport services support its warehouse operations through consolidated shipments across different product mixes, temperature requirements and vendor networks. This enables retailers managing networks that require both consistency and flexibility to move products efficiently while coordinating storage and transportation to minimize unnecessary handling across the supply chain.

Digital commerce transformation projects oftentimes end with a platform launch, but the decisions behind them often influence business performance for years. Choices involving commerce architecture, back-office systems integration and technology investments can affect how effectively a business adapts to market shifts, platform changes and evolving customer expectations. Maze helps enterprise brands plan, implement and optimize digital commerce operations through strategic advisory services, commerce platform transformation and enterprise systems integration. Built on long-term client relationships and deep commerce expertise across Shopify, Salesforce Commerce Cloud and digital marketing, it helps organizations evaluate technology options, modernize commerce environments and align technology investments with business objectives. “We built the business from the inside out by focusing on excellent service delivery and trusted client relationships first and marketing our services second,” says Vince Santo, president & CEO. Brands including Warner Music, Coty, Estée Lauder, Orvis, Crocs, Peter Millar, TOMS, Dollar Shave Club and Samsung/Harman have engaged Maze across a range of commerce initiatives. Client relationships often continue across multiple organizations, leadership roles and platform transitions. Technology providers have also relied on Maze for specialized expertise in commerce and integration. Shopify engaged Maze to build the Shop Pay integration for Salesforce Commerce Cloud while other platform providers have relied on the team to develop integrations across their ecosystems..