Zeeland, Mich. February 12, 2024—J & H Family Stores, a family-owned convenience store retailer founded in 1969 and with over 75 store locations, announces it has deployed autonomous floor cleaning robots by ICE Cobotics in its convenience stores.
J & H store associates love having the Cobi units on staff and appreciate the additional co-workers. Utilizing autonomous technology like Cobi not only alleviates associates from repetitive and mundane work but also frees time to focus on customer service and experience.
By including cobots, collaborative robots, as part of the team, J & H makes the workday easier for store employees leading to higher retention rates. Labor shortages are a real issue for retailers and keeping employees can be challenging.
While their co-worker, Cobi, cleans the floor, staff can focus on other pertinent tasks like great customer service, stocking coolers and shelves, and making quality fresh food products for their guests, all to create the family-like atmosphere J & H is known for.
Deploying Cobi allows J&H to support its staff to fulfill its mission to provide modern facilities and courteous customer service to the communities that support them.
"Partnering with ICE Cobotics to bring autonomous cleaning into our stores has been a huge success. It has helped improve customer experience, employee retention, and labor expenses within the stores. Having the Cobi machine in the stores has allowed our team members to spend more time with customers and improve customer experience. J & H Family Stores is excited to continue partnering with ICE Cobotics on ever more locations in the future,” says Loren Hoppen, COO of J & H Family Stores.
Cobi is an inexpensive way for convenience stores to innovate their focus on supporting staff, while also prioritizing facility cleanliness. Cobi is available through an all-inclusive subscription that includes service, parts, consumables, and technology updates at no additional charge. This makes it an affordable and hassle-free way for convenience stores to implement automation.
The compact design allows Cobi to navigate small spaces, tight aisles, and around moving and stationary objects, including cooler doors, glass, and windows, making it a safe option for convenience store environments.
"It is exciting to collaborate with J & H Family Stores as they embrace innovation with the deployment of ICE Cobotics’ Cobi 18. J&H has seamlessly integrated Cobi into their stores and is seeing immediate benefits as they enhance staff satisfaction, alleviate mundane tasks, and prioritize customer service. Cobi's affordable, all-inclusive subscription model ensures hassle-free adoption and provides access to confirmed clean data to help ensure a clean and safe environment,” says Mike DeBoer, President of ICE Cobotics, N.A.
ABOUT ICE COBOTICS: Founded in 2011, ICE Cobotics is an industry-leading technology and cleaning equipment company with offices in North America, Europe, and Asia. ICE Cobotics develops and specializes in autonomous solutions sold through an all-inclusive subscription to help its clients achieve superior cleaning outcomes, greater efficiency, and a happier workforce.
To learn more about ICE Cobotics visit: https://icecobotics.com
Follow ICE Cobotics on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ice-robotics/
ABOUT J&H: J & H Family Stores, a fuel and convenience store chain in West Michigan, has been family-owned and operated since 1969. J & H is committed to providing courteous customer service, quality products, and safe, clean, and modern facilities that serve the local communities that support them. J & H Oil Company proudly supplies nearly 120 retail sites, 50 of which are company-operated.
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