Belgian retailer Colruyt has announced that it will replace traditional paper price labels with electronic labelling by the end of 2019, across its 240 stores in Belgium and Luxembourg.
The company said that the new labels are also equipped with technology to exchange contactless information, and could be used for marketing purposes in the future.
The move enables Colruyt to save approximately 75 million paper labels er year, as well as transport costs.
Price Focus
As Colruyt sales manager Christophe Dehandschutter explained, the move makes sense given the retailer's value-focused positioning.
"We adapt our prices several times a day as a reaction to competitors," he said. "Today, these price adaptations are made manually. By digitising this process, Colruyt will be able to react to unexpected price changes even faster. Moreover, store employees have more time for their core tasks such as preparing the store for sale and helping our customers with their shopping."
Colruyt's Zottegem outlet has been the first to be equipped with the new price labels, following a trial run at four stores: Zottegem, Avelgem, Merelbeke and Haaltert
Dehandschutter added that the new labels also offer NFC technology possibilities.
"When customers hold their smartphone against the price label of a wine, we can transmit product information via the MyColruyt app, for instance for which dish this wine is suitable," he said.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
