TORONTO, Feb. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Optimum Retailing (OR), the in-store optimization platform, today announced new partnerships with Compass Group, Lindt, Knix, and Diageo. Together, they reflect a broader shift among retailers toward self-optimizing stores, or retail locations that continuously learn from their own performance and adapt to improve results over time.

For CPG and apparel retailers, frequent seasonal resets, local buying patterns, and crowded assortments make in-store execution harder than ever. Merchandising teams must turn assortment and allocation plans into store-specific planograms that fit each store’s physical space and reflect what sells in each location. OR helps close the gap between what’s planned at HQ and what actually happens in stores.

“When teams are under pressure to move fast, a plan that looks right on paper can still break down in store,” said Aaron Heard, Apparel Specialist at Optimum Retailing. “In CPG and apparel, execution comes down to real-world constraints like space, on-shelf availability, replenishment behaviors, and where products actually end up on the floor. We help teams see what’s happening in each location so they can localize execution, optimize product placement, and make smarter decisions for the next reset.”

OR connects to retailers’ existing planning and core systems, including assortment, allocation, clustering, and planogram intent, along with point-of-sale (POS) and inventory data. The platform turns store-level execution signals into store- and zone-level plans and planograms, with learnings automatically feeding back into the next planning cycle.

Customer highlights include:

• Compass Group is using OR to scale planogram creation and execution across its U.S. store network in healthcare, education, and entertainment settings. Leveraging OR’s Realgram AI solution, Compass Group reduced its planogram build cycle from three months to two weeks, cutting manual effort and speeding rollouts across its entire store footprint.
  
• Lindt is partnering with OR in North America to bring store-specific merchandising to its retail operations for the first time, starting with 53 active stores and additional locations planned. Previously reliant on manual PowerPoint planograms, Lindt now uses OR to create dynamic store-specific layouts by location, helping standardize execution and learn what works best store to store.
  
• Knix is partnering with OR to unify visual merchandising direction, store communication, and execution tracking across its growing retail fleet. With 19 new store openings planned for 2026, Knix is using OR to centralize HQ intent and increase consistency and visibility across headquarters, field leadership, and store teams. This effort replaces workflows previously managed through static presentations, shared drives, and manual follow-ups.
  
• Diageo works with OR to digitally plan and merchandise the Guinness Storehouse, shifting from manual, in-store merchandising to virtual planning at scale. With a wide range of branded apparel and accessories, Diageo now uses OR to pre-plan assortments and layouts ahead of product arrival, reducing operational lift and overstock while enabling faster, more consistent execution. With OR, Diageo can design and test merchandising strategies virtually, helping teams curate product placements intentionally and create a cohesive customer journey throughout the Storehouse.

OR operationalizes continuous improvement through five measurement areas for customers:

• Capacity intelligence: Understand accurate display and back-of-house capacity by store and zone, so plans reflect real-world space constraints.
• Execution reality: See what was displayed, what was missed or substituted, and where execution deviated from plans.
• Product placement and movement: Track where products landed on the floor and how inventory moved from back-of-house to specific fixtures, shelves, departments, and zones.
• Velocity and seasonality: Identify high-velocity and low-velocity product imbalances and assess how performance opportunities shift by season, location, and store format.
• Conversion and commercial impact: Connect execution and placement decisions to sales outcomes so teams can prioritize what drives results at the shelf and zone level.
  
  

For CPG and apparel retailers, this closed-loop system ties store-level execution to business outcomes, such as when allocated products never make it to the floor or when on-shelf availability limits sell-through. OR delivers these insights through actionable reporting that helps teams refine assortments, allocations, clustering, and planogram execution, so each cycle gets smarter — all without adding work for employees or challenging existing systems.

“So much retail work still depends on store teams completing manual checks, workarounds, and follow-ups, just to keep execution on track,” said Sam Vise, co-founder and CEO of Optimum Retailing. “We offer retailers clear priorities and fast feedback on what’s working and what requires attention. The result is more consistent execution across all locations and a smarter planning cycle for headquarters.”

To learn more about Optimum Retailing, visit: www.optimumretailing.com

About Optimum Retailing
Optimum Retailing is the agentic AI platform that powers self-optimizing stores — retail locations that learn what's working, adapt in real time, and continuously improve performance. Our platform connects sales, compliance, and local context data to help every store optimize merchandising, execution, and operations automatically. Leading retailers like Verizon, Sephora, and Lindt use Optimum Retailing to drive measurable impact: up to 17% revenue growth, 80% better compliance, and 30% more efficient operations.

Contact
Katie Grant
Walker Sands, for Optimum Retailing
optimumretailing-pr@walkersands.com