German retail giant Metro Group has launched a test store to trial technologies and retail concepts as part of its bid to rejuvenate its Real hypermarket banner.
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The Real-Future Store opened its doors in Toenisvorst, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, today (2 May).
The store will be the testing ground for new technologies and retail concepts, the retailer told just-food.
“The concepts and technologies that prove successful here in Toenisvorst will be introduced successively at stores belonging to our sales brands,” Metro chairman Dr Eckhard Cordes said. “Consequently, the Real-Future Store is strategically important for the future development of the entire group.”
Metro said that one of the most significant innovations being trialled is the Mobile Shopping Assistant (MSA), an application for mobile phones that allows shoppers to scan their purchases as they shop. Customers can also use the devise to find specific products in the store or access product information.
The MSA will be used to reduce waiting times at the checkout. The German retailer has also installed various state-of-the-art payment options, including a “pay by fingerprint” scanner with the aim of making lines at checkouts “a thing of the past”.
Metro is also using RFID facilitates to monitor quality control and demand-driven production while interactive terminals and tasting stations “turn daily shopping into an experience to savour”, the company said.
Metro recently embarked on a turnaround programme for its Real hypermarket chain, and the group has said that innovations that prove successful in its Future Store will be rolled out across the entire chain.
“Innovations and concepts that prove successful at the Real-Future Store will be introduced at other Real hypermarkets. Our new concepts for both foods and non-foods are a direct reaction to the significant developments over recent years in what our customers expect from a modern shopping experience,” Real CEO Joel Saveuse said.
