Simbe Announces Formation of Strategic Advisory Board to Guide Next Era of Intelligent Retail Operations
Exclusive group of senior retail leaders and innovators will provide strategic counsel as Simbe accelerates global growth, addressing retail’s most urgent operational blind spots
San Francisco, Calif. – August 27, 2025 | Simbe, the global leader in shelf digitization and store intelligence, today announced the formation of its Strategic Advisory Board, a network of distinguished executives and experts shaping the future of intelligent retail operations.
The board’s creation comes at a pivotal moment for the retail industry: capital expenditure across the sector surged 91.59% year-over-year in Q2 2025, with trailing 12-month growth of 29.25%, underscoring how retailers are accelerating investment in in-store technology—up 151% year-over-year—to address mounting pressures on labor and omnichannel execution.
Despite billions invested in supply chain, POS, and e-commerce, the store interior remains retail’s least-instrumented and most underutilized source of insights. That paradox drives systemic inefficiencies:
- 1 in 5 desired items are unavailable in-store, with 24% of shoppers switching to competitors when shelves are empty.
- 50% of Instacart items ordered online are substituted or not found, eroding omnichannel trust.
- 66% of out-of-stock items are actually in the store or backroom—just untracked.
- Retailers lose up to 5.5% of margin annually, a 20% increase from last year, due to poor in-store execution.
Indeed, the impact of the “store data desert” ripples beyond operations. Store teams spend hours daily on manual audits that are up to 25x less effective than automation, and such repetitive tasks are the top reason cited for high attrition. Merchandising and pricing rely on incomplete or outdated data. Suppliers lose confidence when promotions are poorly executed. Omnichannel execution breaks when online promises don’t match in-store reality.
“The store interior is one of retail’s last great data deserts,” said Caitlin Allen, Senior Vice President of Market and Strategic Advisory Board Chair at Simbe. “Simbe’s Strategic Advisory Board brings together some of the most accomplished leaders in retail and technology to guide how we solve this challenge with retailers globally. Their collective backing underscores that digitizing the shelf is the foundation of the intelligent retail operating model and that Simbe is the industry leader.”
Simbe’s Strategic Advisory Board Members
The Strategic Advisory Board includes:
- Anne Mezzenga – CEO & Co-founder, OmniTalk; board member for Firework, Buncha, Broadhead, Scrollmark, and Delivery Solutions; former Target executive who led the Store of the Future project.
- Bennett Morgan – BCG Senior Advisor; former executive at SpartanNash, Amazon, Walmart, and H-E-B, with decades of merchandising leadership.
- Bob Hardester – Former CIO & Chief Supply Chain Officer at Schnucks Markets and Express Scripts, with deep expertise in digital and supply chain transformation.
- Bruce Burrows – Former CIO at Sobeys and Loblaw Companies; led multimillion-dollar IT and supply chain modernization initiatives, including SAP-ERP transformation at Loblaws.
- Chris Walton – Co-CEO & Co-founder, OmniTalk; Senior Contributor for Forbes, and former Target executive overseeing the Store of the Future project and online merchandising.
- Marybeth Hays – Public and private equity board member; prior EVP of Walmart U.S. Consumables and Health & Wellness; also held senior roles at Sam’s Club, Lowe’s, and Walmart China.
- Sean Spillane – Former SVP, Strategy & Real Estate, Stop & Shop; previously spent 20 years in Accenture’s retail strategy practice.
Together, these advisors bring decades of executive leadership across operations, merchandising, technology, and supply chain—united by the conviction that addressing the shelf-level data gap can drive a step change in retail performance.
New Appointment: Expert in Residence
In addition to its advisory board, Simbe also welcomed Dave Steck, Schnuck Markets’ former VP of IT Store & Emerging Technology, as Expert in Residence. Steck spent more than a decade at Schnucks, where he helped make Schnucks Simbe’s longest-standing retail partner and, in 2021, the first grocer worldwide to deploy autonomous shelf-scanning robots chain-wide.
“Retail’s future depends on transforming the last mile—the shelf—into a digitized, intelligent layer,” said Dave Steck, Expert in Residence at Simbe. “Simbe is the clear market leader in making that vision a reality.”
About Simbe
Simbe is the global leader in retail shelf digitization, transforming store interiors into intelligent environments. The company’s Store Intelligence™ platform combines mobile robotics, fixed sensors, and computer vision to deliver real-time, actionable insights across inventory, pricing, and merchandising. Simbe serves leading retailers across grocery, club, drug, and general merchandise sectors. For more information, visit www.simberobotics.com.
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