Self-checkout central to Kaufland's new store strategy | Progresiv
German hypermarket chain Kaufland has said that self-service retail technology is a central component to its store transformation strategy, as the company looks to freshen up its physical space during its 50th anniversary year. 
The retailer is looking to improve the in-store shopping experience, reduce waiting times and increase customer loyalty, and has equipped circa 160 stores with technology company NCR’s self-checkout solution.
There are plans to expand the roll-out of this technology across more stores in the next few years.
Kaufland operates approximately 1,270 grocery stores across Europe, with 660 located in Germany, where it is headquartered. The company employs more than 140,000 people across multiple countries, including Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Croatia, Romania and Bulgaria.
Sven Homes, head of IT at Kaufland, commented: “During our 50th anniversary we want to highlight that Kaufland continuously evolves to attract new customers, engage existing customers and grow our business,
“NCR self-checkouts play an important role in this effort by giving customers more flexibility in how they complete purchases inside our stores. Shoppers can scan and pay at their own pace, and we see a reduction in queues and waiting times, most notably with small and medium sized baskets.”
The German grocer is one of the companies in the sector leading the charge to adopt electronic shelf labels, working with solutions provider DisplayData to introduce the technology across its store estate.
Earlier this month the retailer also kick-started a national campaign in its home country to raise the profile of contactless payment, which is not as well advanced in Germany as it is in the UK.
Consumers have been able to pay with the contactless method in Kaufland stores since November 2015, with girocard payments of this type being accepted for the first time this month. Contactless Mastercard and Visa credit card payments, and Maestro and V-Pay, have been accepted for some time. (www.essentialretail.com)
