Managed Print Services (MPS) for Grocery Store Chains

Have you ever considered how much printing goes on in the average grocery store? Anyone who has managed print for a grocery store chain will tell you, the requirements go well beyond the typical office setting. A grocery chain’s corporate offices, grocery distribution centers, and grocery store branches all have different printing challenges.  

A well-implemented Managed Print Services (MPS) solution tailored to each one of these, can save a grocery chain hundreds of thousands – if not millions of dollars – per year, while streamlining print operations, reducing headaches and simplifying cybersecurity challenges. 

In your grocery store chain, every location has different printing requirements: 

• Corporate offices mostly require black-and-white printers for reports, contracts, and everyday paperwork. 
• Food retail stores usually need black-and-white printers as well as color printers for signs, receipts, and special promotions. 
• Distribution centers tend to need several types of copiers and printers, and rely heavily on thermal printers for packaging and shipping labels. 

By using Managed Print Services (MPS), your grocery store chain can ensure each part of the business has the right tools. Your corporate offices get streamlined, high-capacity print workflows, your retail stores get high-quality color printing for fast-paced promotional needs, and your supermarket distribution centers have reliable label printers to keep your supply chain moving efficiently. 

Food Retail Stores & Supermarkets: Print Speed and Color Durability  

The printing needs of supermarkets and grocery stores are often focused on speed. Whether printing signage for a limited-time offer or sales materials for a new promotion, you need speed and quality.  

This is especially true when you’re moving perishable items like produce (fruits and vegetables). One of the many brands we offer is Lexmark -- their color printers excel in this area, providing high-speed color printing that can handle large volumes without losing quality. 

But speed isn’t everything. You also need durable prints. Many supermarket store signs end up in areas exposed to sunlight, such as near store entrances, windows, or outdoor spaces. With the wrong printers, sun exposure can quickly cause colors to fade. Vibrant, fresh colors are an important part of marketing fresh produce. 

Corporate Offices: Streamlined, High-Volume Black-and-White Printing 

Corporate offices of the average grocery chain handle most of the administrative tasks, and that means lots of black-and-white printing. Whether it’s printing financial reports, contracts, or employee handbooks, reliability and cost-efficiency are key. HP copiers are a solid choice for this kind of high-volume printing. These office copiers allow you to print hundreds or thousands of pages a day without needing constant maintenance or replacement parts. 

With MPS in place, your office print operations become more efficient. You’ll waste less paper, save on toner, and have fewer issues with printer downtime. Automated supply replenishment can ensure that you’re never out of toner or paper when you need it most.  

Regular maintenance checks provided by your MPS provider also keep your printers running at peak performance, reducing unexpected disruptions. 

Distribution Centers: High-Volume Printers, Desktop Printers, Reliable Label Printers for Logistics 

Grocery distribution centers are essential to a business built on fresh produce – they’re the backbone of a supermarket chain’s supply chain. Products need to be labeled correctly, tracked, and shipped efficiently to get them from your warehouses to the shelves of your stores. The printers in your distribution centers are often under pressure to keep up with high demand, printing shipping labels and package identifiers quickly and accurately. Any delay in labeling can lead to slowdowns in your entire supply chain, which costs time and money. 

The right Managed Print Services (MPS) provider can ensure that grocery distribution centers are equipped with reliable label printers designed to handle the heavy workload. These printers are designed to function well even in tough warehouse environments.  

A good MPS provider will also make sure that you always help you automate renewables, ensuring a steady supply of ink, label rolls, and other necessary materials to keep your logistics moving smoothly. 

One of the most important decisions in your print operation is whether to lease or buy your printing equipment. While buying outright might seem easier, leasing offers several advantages—especially for a supermarket chain, where print demands vary across corporate, retail, and distribution locations – and where updating devices often to keep up with technology is fundamental for workflow efficiency.  

Just like selling fresh produce relies on a timely rotation, keeping your printer fleet fresh relies on updating devices frequently. 

Advantages of Leasing: 

• Cost control: Leasing spreads the cost of equipment over time, allowing you to manage your budget more effectively. 
• Access to newer technology: Leasing allows you to stay up to date with the latest printers and copiers without needing to make large upfront investments. As your print needs change, you can easily upgrade to more efficient models. 
• Maintenance included: Leasing agreements often cover maintenance and repairs, saving you the cost and hassle of fixing machines on your own. 

Leasing also gives you flexibility. As your print needs grow or change, you can easily adjust the number or type of printers you lease. For example, if your retail locations need more color printers for promotional signage, or if your distribution centers require more label printers during the busy season, leasing lets you scale up without the need for a significant capital expense. 

For supermarket corporate offices, leasing HP copiers ensures your company has access to the best black-and-white printers available. You can always stay up to date with the latest models and technologies, which improves your printing efficiency. For your retail locations, leasing your color printers gives you the flexibility to keep your printers as fresh as your produce. 

Any executive working in food retail, dealing with perishable goods, is aware of the need to maximize usage and minimize waste. While MPS offers many benefits, there are pitfalls when manufacturers seek to position themselves as MPS providers.  

One of the most common issues with manufacturer offering managed print solutions is the overselling of devices. Focused on selling their own brand of printers, manufacturers may be overzealous in placing new devices.  

You might end up with more printers than you need, or with models that are too expensive or over-engineered for your daily operations. For your grocery store chain, this could mean that your budget may become stretched thin by machines that don’t add value to your operations. 

As a brand-neutral MPS provider, Flex Technology Group offers a clear advantage for your grocery store chain because we prioritize your needs, not hardware sales. Unlike manufacturer-based MPS providers, Flex Technology Group works with multiple brands and selects the best printers, copiers, and label machines for each area of your business.  

Flex Technology Group experts take the time to understand your print volume, the specific demands of each location, and your budget to create a print environment that works seamlessly across all your departments. 

Flex Technology Group is focused on creating long-term partnerships. Rather than simply installing printers and moving on, our implementation experts work closely with you to continuously improve your print environment. This means we monitor your print usage, identify areas where you can cut costs, and recommend solutions that enhance your overall efficiency. 

Right-Sizing Your Print Fleet 

For instance, your grocery chain might benefit from consolidating devices. In many cases, supermarkets can reduce the number of printers they use without sacrificing performance.  

Our Flex Technology Group experts can help you identify which machines can handle higher print volumes and suggest ways to reduce underused devices. This will keep your maintenance costs and energy consumption down, helping you operate more sustainably. 

Proactive, Scheduled Maintenance 

In addition, Flex Technology Group offers proactive maintenance. By scheduling regular checkups and service calls, they prevent problems before they arise. This keeps your printers running smoothly and minimizes downtime across all your locations, from corporate offices to distribution centers. That means fewer disruptions, higher productivity, and a print environment that works without hiccups. 

Do you know how much your print operations is costing you? Cost efficiency is one of the biggest reasons to adopt MPS for your grocery store chain. Printing costs, especially in a large operation like yours, can quickly spiral out of control if not properly managed. MPS helps you keep those costs in check by offering a more streamlined approach to printing. You’ll waste less paper, use less toner, and see fewer breakdowns and maintenance issues over time. 

For example, your corporate offices can benefit from using duplex printing (printing on both sides of the page). This simple change reduces paper usage significantly over time, cutting down on costs and helping you meet sustainability goals.  

With cost-saving strategies in your food retail stores and distribution centers, such as monitoring print volume to ensure that printers are only used for necessary tasks like signage and shipping labels, you can bring down your operational costs.  

MPS also helps you reduce the environmental impact of your printing operations. By consolidating your printers and using energy-efficient models, you’ll lower the amount of electricity you use. Fewer machines running at full capacity mean lower power bills and a smaller carbon footprint. Additionally, many MPS providers offer recycling programs for paper and toner cartridges, further reducing the waste produced by your printing operations. 

With corporate responsibility becoming more and more important, reducing your environmental impact is a win for both your grocery chain and your public image. Customers and partners alike will appreciate your efforts to go green and operate more sustainably. 

Security isn’t just about your digital systems—it’s also about your print security. Your grocery chain handles a lot of sensitive data, from financial reports to employee records. When this information is printed, it can become a security risk if your print environment isn’t secure.  

Hackers can exploit networked printers as entry points into your system, gaining access to important data that could put your company at risk. 

Secure Printing 

Flex Technology Group can help you secure your print environment. Based on your needs, our experts can implement secure print protocols, such as requiring employee authentication before a document is released for printing.  

This prevents unauthorized access to sensitive materials and ensures that only the right people can print certain documents. It also reduces the likelihood that confidential documents will be left sitting on a printer, where anyone could potentially see them. 

Firmware Updates 

In addition to secure printing practices, Flex Technology Group ensures that your printers are always up to date with the latest security patches and firmware. This minimizes the risk of vulnerabilities being exploited by hackers, keeping your data safe. With cyber threats on the rise, print security is no longer something your grocery chain can afford to overlook. 

The benefits of Managed Print Services go beyond just printing. By optimizing your print environment, you’ll see improvements in productivity, security, cost control, and sustainability. 

• Increased productivity: MPS keeps your printers running smoothly, reducing downtime and ensuring that every part of your grocery chain can print what it needs, when it needs it. Whether it’s corporate offices printing reports or retail stores producing signage, you’ll see fewer delays and interruptions. 
• Enhanced security: By securing your print environment, you protect your company’s sensitive information. MPS providers ensure that your printers are safe from hackers and that confidential documents are printed securely. 
• Lower costs: MPS helps you manage your print costs by reducing paper and toner waste, consolidating underused devices, and streamlining your entire print environment. You’ll save money in both the short and long term. 
• Sustainability: By reducing energy consumption and waste, MPS helps your grocery chain operate in a more eco-friendly way. From energy-efficient printers to recycling programs, your company can reduce its environmental impact while still meeting operational needs. 

By partnering with Flex Technology Group, you’ll get a brand-neutral, tailored solution that fits your grocery chain’s specific needs. You won’t be pressured into buying more equipment than you need, and you’ll always have access to the latest technology.  

Flex Technology Group’s proactive approach to maintenance and cost control ensures that your company runs smoothly, with fewer disruptions and lower costs. 

When you run a grocery store chain, efficiency and cost control are key to success. Smooth systems keep fresh produce moving down your supply chain.  

Managed Print Services give you a way to streamline your operations, reduce unnecessary expenses, and protect your sensitive data—all while improving productivity across your corporate offices, retail stores, and distribution centers. 

With Flex Technology Group, you’ll get a solution tailored specifically to your food retail operation. Instead of being stuck with a one-size-fits-all approach from a manufacturer, you’ll have access to multiple brands and the best equipment for each part of your operation. You’ll also have the peace of mind that comes with knowing your print environment is secure, cost-efficient, and environmentally friendly. 

Ultimately, the long-term benefits of MPS for your grocery chain are clear. Choosing an MPS provider that prioritizes your business and its unique needs will give you a competitive edge while keeping your printing operations running smoothly. 

Are your printers up-to-date on firmware? Are you using your devices to their full efficiency? Get in touch with us for an analysis of your print environment.