Albertsons turns to Microsoft for cloud, 'frictionless retail'

America’s second-largest grocery chain, Albertsons Companies, plans to use Microsoft Azure as its "preferred cloud platform," along with Microsoft 365 and Azure AI features, to improve the retail experience.The decision mirrors those of Walmart and Target, which shifted away from Amazon Web Services after concerns about funding the e-commerce giant that has its own physical retail aspirations.Albertsons is currently owned by a 'distressed investing' specialist - private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management - and operates more than 2,000 stores across its subsidiaries that include Safeway, Acme Markets, Tom Thumb and Randalls. We are reimagining the future to serve customers in a way they want to interact with us across all channels,” Anuj Dhanda, Albertsons EVP and CIO, said.