The Southern Co-op has announced that it will be rolling out electronic shelf labels (ESLs) to all of its stores following the success of trials.
The society started testing two different types of ESLs in December 2020 before widening the trial to a total of 15 stores over the last 12 months. It stated that taking into account the demand, accuracy and positive feedback on the technology, it will be investing in a full rollout towards the end of 2022 and throughout 2023.
The technology is manufactured by SoluM, a Samsung invested company, and is run in partnership with Cambridge-based technology integrator, Herbert Retail.
Mark Barnett, Southern Co-op’s Retail Transformation Project Lead, said: “Since we started the trials, it is one of the things that I have had regular requests for. Store managers have been calling out for this technology as changing physical shelf labels is laborious and something no one wants to be burdened with.
“It’s a big investment, but it’s worth it as our stores will have increased efficiency, assured pricing and product information, reduced paper wastage and an enhanced store team morale.
“It means promotions can change over as soon as a store opens its doors. Plus the larger electronic labels can display legal information such as allergens, Think25 messaging, and home delivery options.
“It is fast, accurate and offers our customers a seamless in store experience.”
