In the beginning….
The practice of Space Management was started, at least using a computer, in the 1980s as the first PCs came on the market. Space Management was clearly one of the business practices that needed the power of a computer to become capable of delivering more value. Technology has made planograms so much more than just a pretty picture of where things go on a shelf.
This page is written from our collective experience, and IS NOT 100% accurate and HAS NOT been vetted by the companies noted.
Your suggestions for additions and corrections are welcome and encouraged; Please send suggestions to Dan@cantactix.com.
Butcher Paper
A lady named Faith told me that the first time she used a planogram was when she worked in her family business running three grocery stores. She figured out that she could duplicate one deli counter in another store by laying out a length of butcher paper in front of the counter and literally drawing out the current merchandise layout.
She would roll up the paper and take it to the next store.
Magnets – aka “Magna-Boards”
The beverage and chemicals industries were big users of magnets. Sales reps would carry a slate board and scaled magnets of their various products. The users would literally make a planogram on the fly with the retailer and could “prove” that it would fit because the slate board had 4′ increments and the magnets were to scale, and had coloured pictures of each product.
Please share pictures of the magnets that some of you still have snapped to something in your office.
CASM
This was the first industry term for our practice – Computer Assisted Space Management. Leave it to the acronym gods to come up with CASM. Wikipedia defines “cassum” as “hollow, empty, devoid of something”, and “chasm” as “a deep fissure in the earth, rock, or another surface”.
We should all be thankful that this name didn’t stick around, or at least it fell into a chasm/cassum.
MarketMAX
A software provider from the 1990’s that was eventually purchased by SAS.
$paceMAX
MarketMAX’s first tool was a DOS program called $paceMAX.
$pacePORT
MarketMAX’s first convertor tool for translating $paceMAX files to other formats.
Citation
Planogram software with a CSV extension. NEED MORE INFORMATION on Citation.
Apollo
Early company and DOS planogram tool with an early adopter being Safeway and their SCOP program.
Logistics Data Systems
Original company that created Spaceman.
Nielsen
The A.C. Nielsen company acquired Spaceman from Logistics Data Systems. Nielsen stills owns Spaceman – good luck finding some information on their web site.
Intactix International
Company started by Dale Byrne, Susan Harp, and Alan Hetherington. The goal was to create a Windows solution. Early retailers were Target, Meijer, and Overwaitea. Company purchased by Pricer AB in 1997.
InterSpace
Original Intactix conversion tool purchased by Target in October 1989. DOS version was quickly upgraded to Windows and was the first Windows tool in the industry.
InterShape
Early tool that allowed the user to draw and save drawings of products. This was very useful before the proliferation of images. Drawings can still be used for planograms such as mops and brooms, or frying pans. Uses the ISH extension.
PegMan
Early tool that was very successful in the Hardware and DIY industry. Later purchased by Intactix. Features were then merged with InterCept and released as pro/space.
pro/space
Intactix’s first 32-bit planogram tool released in the Spring of 1999. For a brief time it was know as “pro/space by Arthur”. pro/space was re-branded as Space Planning about 2003.
InterSection
Intactix’s first floor planning tool. 16-bit application. While InterCept evolved to pro/space, InterSection did not evolve to pro/floor. The file format was IST.
Pricer AB
Company owning the Intactix suite from July 1, 1997 through August 6, 2000 when they sold it to JDA Software Group.
pro/floor
Intactix’s first 32-bit planogram tool released in early 2000. For a brief time it was know as “pro/floor by Arthur”. pro/floor was re-branded as Floor Planning about 2003.
InterRange
Intactix’s first assortment tool. 16-bit. Launched in Q3 1996.
Efficient Item Assortment
Also known as EIA, this was the re-invention of InterRange with a focus on adding better Consumer Decision Trees (CDTs). Launched in Q4 2001.
Shelf Assortment
When EIA was launched it was only part of the functionality that had been in InterRange. Shelf Assortment was the first attempt to build a space-aware automated assortment tool. You selected your target planograms and the tool read your available space. The assortment was then built up to fill that total linear space. First launched in Q2 2002.
Aldata
Company who owned Apollo in the 2000’s.
Symphony
Aldata was restructured as Symphony and owned Apollo.
Symphony EYC
Owned Apollo software after Symphony, and before Symphony GOLD.
SAS
SAS purchased MarketMAX in October 2003. There are very few clients left using MarketMAX, if any.
AVT
Advanced Visual Technologies. Floor planning tool. Bought by Oracle.
PDSRS
UK-based company that created a survey tool, SmartSpace, that could translate an Autocad DWG file to a Floor Planning PFA file. Later bought by RGIS and later retired.
SmartSpace
A RGIS branded version of an earlier tool from PDSRS that was used in stores to create both DWG (Autocad) and PSA (JDA Floor Planning) files.
RGIS
RGIS is one of the two largest companies in the world for inventory counting services. The purchased PDSRS and SmartSpace as an add-on service for their clients. It made sense to map a store while they were counting the inventory. They also offered, and may still offer, the tagging of fixtures with scan-able barcodes and Aisle locating information. This is very useful information for Omni-Channel companies with want to enable click-n-pick and other similar solutions. It just makes sense to know exactly where everything is in your store.
Galleria
UK-based company that was focused on Clustering and Assortments, and then got in to automated planograms. They attempted to work in North America and never really got into the double-digits of customers. Purchased by RELEX Solutions, June 2016.
Fifth Dimension
UK-based company that started with advanced 3D visualizations of stores. Expanded to include some planograms. Purchased by Symphony GOLD, June 2016.
Symphony GOLD
Current owner of the Apollo suite.
RetailLogic
Company formed by Vaughn Roller focused on optimal planogram size and layout without an entire store. Vaughn previously started MarketMAX and was a Vice President at Intactix when JDA purchased them in April 2000. Some call him the “grandfather of space management”. Company was eventually purchased by Revionics.
Need help here
Wendell Simmons’ Sales Force Automation (SFA) company in ATL that Intactix acquired.
3DVRS
Australian-based company focused on delivering realistic 3D store experiences and analysis using the planograms and floorplans created and maintained by JDA solutions. The 3D solutions also work with Revit and have a two-way interface with AutoCAD and Floor Planning. Users are finally able to “share” their merchandising layer with their CAD group via the 3DVRS application known as AFP (AutoCAD to Floor Planning). Learn more here.