Finnish retail group Kesko will replace the legacy warehouse management system running its grocery business with Manhattan Associates’ cloud-native Manhattan ActiveWarehouse, the software vendor said in an announcement dated 13 October. Kesko, which Manhattan describes as Finland’s second-largest grocery brand and one of the largest retailers in Northern Europe, plans to layer agentic artificial intelligence on top of the new platform.
A cloud WMS across five sites, with a greenfield to come
The rollout initially covers Kesko’s five existing distribution centres and a range of terminal hub operations, with a greenfield site planned for 2029-30, according to Manhattan. Kesko’s grocery trade business spans its K-food stores and the Kespro wholesale operation; the division reported 2025 net sales of EUR 6.5 billion and comparable operating profit of EUR 418 million, the vendor said.
Agents for waves, labour and warehouse work
Kesko intends to deploy Manhattan Active Agents branded Wave Coordinator, Labour and Warehouse Associate, and says it will explore additional purpose-built agents for inbound operations using Manhattan’s Agent Foundry. Pekka Tala, Director of Strategic Programs for Grocery Trade Logistics at Kesko, said the retailer wants a warehouse and technology foundation that can evolve without the disruption usually tied to enterprise software upgrades, and pointed to the stakes of meeting on-time-in-full commitments in grocery.
“Retailers are increasingly viewing warehouse projects as an opportunity for competitive differentiation,” said Sebastien Lefebure, Senior Vice President, EMEA at Manhattan.
Sources
- Manhattan Associates, “Manhattan Wins Kesko Mandate as Nordic Retail Giant Bets on Cloud-Native, AI-Driven Warehousing,” 13 October 2026 — manh.com
- Retail Times, “Nordic retail giant Kesko overhauls grocery logistics with Manhattan Associates,” 13 October 2026 — retailtimes.co.uk
