STORES Magazine - August 2008 - (Page 82)

CONSIDER THIS / LOEB RETAIL LETTER Copyright 2008 by Loeb Associates Inc. Used by permission. The New Future Store BY WALTER LOEB German retailing giant Metro Group opened its first Future Store in Rheinberg five years ago. It was a huge success since this supermarket showcased, among other things, some of the first practical in-store applications of RFID technology. Since that time RFID has found use in logistics and inventory control. Building on that experience, a new Future Store was recently opened in the small Düsseldorf suburb of Toenisvorst. This Real supercenter store is much larger (92,000 sq. ft.) than the original Extra store and includes both food and general merchandise. RFID plays a more specific role in the new store by ensuring the freshness of meat. This store also introWalter F. Loeb is a New Yorkduces many technological based consultant and member ideas that, should they prove of the NRF board of directors successful, will be adopted whose newsletter is published as practical applications in monthly in STORES. the next few years. Much of the focus is on mobile shopping assistant (MSA) technology for cell phones. You can scan products with the mobile phone; you can also store a shopping list and select merchandise for the shopping basket. MSA also has a store map to help you find departments more quickly. Scanning for wine pairings For food products, additional information like ingredients and nutritional facts are available electronically. One can also check out with the MSA cell phone: Having scanned all articles while shopping, standing in line at the checkout counter may soon become a thing of the past. Another point of interest is in the liquor department; customers can scan the wine to get information as to its bouquet and suggestions for complimentary food pairings. And some bottles were stored at the correct temperature in climate-controlled cabinets. It was the checkout that I found most interesting. While there were the traditional checkout counters, there also were express self-checkouts and cashless checkouts, but the real innovation was the introduction of fingerprint scanning for credit checkout. Robotic guides Two robots (Roger and Ally) circulating in the store were willing guides with a good deal of information about the various departments. New non-food departments include sporting goods and active wear, as well as an electronics department with CD listening stations. There was a nice coffee bar with some nice features, including a shopping cart parking area and a Wi-Fi hotspot. Retailing is constantly changing through innovative developments. Just as Tesco showed us innovative ways to develop new convenience stores with its Fresh and Easy concept (and I am looking forward to seeing how Wal-Mart responds when it introduces Market Place), the Real store has great potential and I would like to see the applications in a more cosmopolitan site. There was little intensity of merchandise – it was too formal. Still, I learned a lot in this store, and I believe that it is a good experimental location for Metro Group to develop and test technology that will be important for their organization. I thought the store was exciting because of the innovative technology features that once again point to a new evolution in retailing. Metro’s management has vision and, just as important, is willing to share the information that will move retailing forward. WWW.STORES.ORG Retailing is constantly changing through innovative developments. Just as Tesco showed us innovative ways to develop new convenience stores with its Fresh and Easy concept the Real store has great potential and I would like to see the applications in a more cosmopolitan site. 82 STORES / AUGUST 2008 http://WWW.STORES.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of STORES Magazine - August 2008

STORES Magazine - August 2008 Contents Executive Editor's Page President's Page The Lure of Free Shipping Walmart’s New Look What Shoppers Think Will Widgets Work for Wheat Bread and Wasabi? 10 Things You May Have Missed Numbers Worth Counting Full Price/Markdown Retail People Store Design Industry Economics Hot 100 Retailers Concept2Watch Mobile Technology Small Store Technology Website Optimization Site Selection Mobile Payments Recycling Merchandising: Cool Sells Merchandising: Merchandising in Mexico Store Construction & Development Human Resources Loyalty Programs Mobile Marketing Loeb Retail Letter Arts Update Point of View NRF News Retail Crossword Retail Industry Calendar Last Laugh

STORES Magazine - August 2008

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