Pensa Hires Kroger Veteran Mark Abernathy As Retail Market Lead

AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 07, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pensa Systems, a leading innovator in retail shelf intelligence, today announced the appointment of retail industry executive Mark Abernathy as head of market development for the retail sector. Abernathy will lead Pensa’s go-to-market efforts to meet retailers’ growing demand for Pensa’s automated real-world shelf visibility data.

Retailers and CPG brands are looking for the best answer to the $1T+ problem of stockouts. At any given time, up to one in five products is missing from the shelf. Pensa’s automated shelf intelligence, powered by advanced AI and video-based computer vision, closes the gap between retail inventory and POS data, helping retailers minimize stockouts, create new data sources to monetize and improve the customer experience to drive revenue and loyalty in the omnichannel world. Pensa partners with top CPG brands and retailers globally, including Johnson & Johnson, General Mills, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Circle K, and Unilever.

“Profitability has never been more challenging for retailers, the added expense of ecommerce fulfillment coupled with the rising cost of transportation and wages is a significant headwind,” said Abernathy. “I’m excited to join Pensa, where I can marry my decades of experience improving operations in real-world retail environments, with Pensa’s powerful, automated shelf intelligence solution that helps retailers improve sales, reduce labor and monetize their data.”

Previously, as head of eCommerce operations at Kroger, Abernathy created and led a profitable $6B dollar business across 2000+ locations in 19 regional divisions and expanded operations to support new lines of business including Home Delivery, Ship-to-Home and Click&Collect. Earlier in his career, he spent 13 at Harris Teeter in a variety of store operations roles. He brings a wealth of expertise in helping retailers accelerate growth, improve customer satisfaction and manage disruptions.

“Pensa’s system is uniquely effective at detecting stockouts and bringing the shelf online in the new omni-channel world, and that’s driving up interest and demand for our syndicated shelf data,” said Pensa President and CEO Richard Schwartz. “Mark intimately understands how to help retailers drive growth while simultaneously navigating market disruptions. We are thrilled to have him aboard as head of retail.”

Abernathy’s appointment follows the hire of technology veteran Tim Whiting as Vice President of Marketing; the appointment of CPG veteran Mollie DeBrie as Vice President of Sales; the expansion of relationships with customers such as Johnson & Johnson, General Mills and Circle K; and an earlier Series A venture funding round, led by ATX Venture Partners with the addition of corporate investor Circle K Ventures, part of Alimentation Couche-Tard. Pensa’s footprint has also recently expanded across multiple retail formats and regions, including leading grocery, drugstore and convenience channels.

About Pensa Systems
Pensa is the leader in retail shelf intelligence, powered by patented advanced AI and computer vision. Pensa delivers the source of truth about what’s happening on the retail shelf to minimize stockouts, increase shelf share, optimize product planning and improve the customer experience for the omnichannel world. Recently named one of the 10 hottest AI start-ups of 2021, Pensa partners with top CPG brands and retailers globally, including Johnson & Johnson, General Mills, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Circle K, and Unilever to address a trillion-dollar “blind spot” at a critical time in the industry. Please visit pensasystems.com to learn more, and stay connected via Twitter and LinkedIn.

Pensa Systems Contact:
Marianna Vyridi
Email: [email protected]
Tel: + 1-650-468-3263

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/81d8089c-12b6-4cbf-839a-f30fc0a318ef