Multi-Location Technology
The next time you’re in a Mariano’s, look at the price tags. Kroger, Mariano’s parent company, is replacing paper shelf tags with small digital screens, and on a very large scale.
At its 2026 Investor Day on Oct. 20, Kroger said it has “already installed more than 36 million digital shelf edge labels across 1,100 stores,” and expects them “in more than 2,400 stores by 2029.” Kroger operates about 2,700 stores in 35 states, so that covers most of the chain.
The reason it gave is simple. “Price and promotions that used to take days can move in minutes,” said Mark Ibbotson, Kroger’s executive vice president and chief store operations officer. “That changes daily store work.”
Most of our clients don’t run 2,700 grocery stores. But the problem Kroger is solving will sound familiar to any franchise or multi-location brand: getting one change to show up correctly, everywhere, without sending someone around with a stack of paper.
What Kroger is building
Kroger calls it the “connected store.” As The Shelby Report described in its Nov. 2 coverage, the plan is to standardize how stores run, then use technology to cut out steps and point employees to what needs attention.
The digital shelf labels are the most visible piece, and Ibbotson said they do more than show prices. “It’s an IoT platform that will simplify work and enhance the customer journey,” he said. One example he gave is “pick-to-light,” where the shelf lights up to show an employee or a delivery shopper the right item. Kroger says that improves pick accuracy “by around 10%.”
Ibbotson also pointed out that the technology itself isn’t new. “The electronic shelf-edge label is not new. It’s been around about 30 years,” he said. What changed is that the cost came down and connected devices became common enough to justify putting them in every store.
The lesson: one change, every location
Take away the scale and Kroger’s approach comes down to a few ideas any multi-location business can use:
- Make changes in one place. When prices, promotions or announcements are updated by hand at each location, they drift. One location runs last week’s offer, and another never got the memo. A central system fixes that.
- Standardize first, then add technology. Kroger’s stated goal is routines that “roughly 95 percent of stores can run” the same way. Technology works best once everyone agrees on how things should be done.
- Treat the network as part of the store. Digital labels, screens, payment systems and cameras all depend on the network behind them. A store that’s “connected” is only as reliable as its cabling and wireless coverage.
- Plan it into new locations. Kroger plans about 110 new stores through 2029. For any brand that’s opening locations, the cheapest time to plan screens, data drops and wireless coverage is before construction, not after opening day.
What this looks like at a smaller scale
For a boutique fitness franchise, a restaurant group or a retailer with a handful of locations, the same idea usually shows up on the lobby screen, the menu board or the promo display at the counter. When a schedule changes, a promotion ends or a new location opens, every screen should reflect it without anyone climbing a ladder with a USB stick.
That’s the problem VEXview is built for. It’s the content system for the displays and TVs in your locations. You post class schedules, announcements and promotions once and send them to one site or all of them. Promotions start and stop on their own, in your brand’s look. Corporate sets the standard, and each location shows its own details inside it.
The screens are only half the job. Our structured cabling and Audio & Video teams handle mounting, network drops and wireless coverage. We coordinate power with your electrician so everything is ready when the screens go up. For brands opening new sites, we fold all of that into location buildouts so the technology is planned from day one. Learn more about how we support franchise and multi-location businesses.
Start with one question
Kroger’s own test for technology is worth borrowing. Ibbotson said it “should give us more precision, return time to our associates, and make life better for our customers.” If a change at your locations still takes days to reach every site, that’s a good place to start.
Tell us how many locations you have and what you’d like to update faster. Contact us or call (815) 749-0600.