UK retailer Sainsbury’s has opened its first 'On The Go' convenience store in Square Mile in London.
The 2,200 square feet outlet has been designed to cater to the needs of busy city customers and the product offering has been tailored accordingly, the retailer said.
The store, located in Mansion House, offers freshly prepared in-store food and beverage items as well as a range of digital services.
Director of commercial operations in Sainsbury’s, Graham Biggart, commented, "Our new On the Go Mansion House Local [brings] a new kind of convenience to busy local workers with limited time, delivering the curated range and fast experience that will enable them to get exactly what they want at pace."
Products And Services
The food offering, which changes three times a day, includes items for breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea.
Shoppers can opt for pizzas, bakery items, sushi, hot porridge, as well as beverages from a self-service coffee machine and juicer.
Customers can opt to either eat-in or pick up their food items from the ‘grab and go’ station in front of the store.
Digital Services
On the digital front, the store offers a till-free shopping facility through its SmartShop mobile app.
It is also equipped with rapid exit checkouts for faster billing for shoppers who opt to pay through a till.
The outlet also offers a 'Click and Collect' service for products from Argos and Tu clothing.
The Food-To-Go Market
By 2024, the value of the food-to-go market in the UK is predicted to grow by 26.4% to £23.4billion (€28.07 billion) from £18.5 billion (€22.19 billion) in 2019, according to estimates from IGD.
The new 'On The Go' format will help the retailer maintain its position as one of the leaders in the convenience sector, it said.
"Convenience is a growing part of our business and we have greater capability than ever to truly tailor local stores to local needs – across our products, formats, services, and operations," Biggart explained.
Expansion Plans
In the coming months, Sainsbury's aims to launch nine additional 'On the Go' stores in Edinburgh, Bristol, Glasgow, and London to test the concept in other busy urban areas.
The introduction of the 'On The Go' format follows the success of the retailer's recently launched neighbourhood convenience stores, the retailer added.
This format offers residents a wide range of food and general merchandise products as well as convenient services under one roof.
© 2020 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
