Finnish retail group Kesko has selected Manhattan Active Warehouse to replace its legacy warehouse management system for grocery operations. The cloud-native platform will also introduce agentic AI through Manhattan Active Agents and Manhattan Agent Foundry.
The initial deployment covers five distribution centres, with a new greenfield facility planned for 2029–30 and additional terminal hub operations included in the longer-term scope. Kesko says the programme is intended to provide a technology base that can be updated continuously without the disruption associated with conventional enterprise software upgrades.
Kesko’s grocery business, comprising K-food stores and Kespro, generated €6.5 billion in net sales and €418 million in comparable operating profit in 2025. The retailer expects to use Wave Coordinator, Labour and Warehouse Associate Agents, while evaluating further agents for inbound activity through Manhattan Agent Foundry.
The investment reflects the commercial importance of dependable fulfilment in grocery. Kesko is seeking real-time interpretation of operational signals so that warehouse teams can respond faster to changing orders, capacity constraints and execution issues. For Kesko’s grocery operation, the WMS replacement is therefore positioned as a business improvement programme rather than a routine IT renewal.
A multilingual professional experienced in Europe, Canada, and China, Herbert has developed invaluable networks in the automotive and energy industries. He has led high-profile projects involving ENBW, Mercedes-Benz Group, Siemens Group, and the Fraunhofer Institute.