Sonae’s MC ramps up supply chain transformation push as European retailer deploys Blue Yonder solutions
MC, the retail division of Sonae that operates in Portugal’s grocery market and health, wellness, and beauty space across the Iberian Peninsula, has selected Blue Yonder cognitive solutions for allocation and replenishment to boost its supply chain transformation.
With more than 400 stores across multiple formats, MC operates major supermarkets and hypermarkets such as Continente, along with convenience stores, health and wellness shops, and online grocery services. Blue Yonder’s artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) enabled solutions will help the company improve visibility into demand forecasting.
“The grocery retail sector is adapting to a period of significant change, underlining the need for more agile operations across the supply chain. We needed end-to-end visibility and faster, more accurate inventory planning to address demand uncertainty while prioritising our business goals,” says Sofia Castro, Head of Supply Chain, at MC.
"We were impressed by Blue Yonder’s patented AI and machine learning forecasting capabilities, which help us establish a single source of truth and coordinate decision-making across demand and supply planning. They support our need to serve every part of our retail portfolio, enabling our teams to deliver results more efficiently.”
“This initiative by MC reflects a broader trend in which leading retailers are increasingly adopting AI and machine learning driven solutions to address grocery and retail challenges," says Terry Turner, President, Global CPG, Life Sciences and Grocery, Blue Yonder. "With Blue Yonder, MC will gain AI and machine learning powered analytics and predictive insights, enabling the company to anticipate market trends and optimise decision-making to exceed customer expectations consistently.”
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Supply chain technology will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
