Store of the future news

Cooler Screens, which has created one of the world’s largest in-store digital media and merchandising platforms for retail, is taking its technology beyond chilled aisles to other areas of the store in a major expansion drive. Initial focus on chilled drinks Cooler Screens has been able to transform doors on chilled units in stores into digital IoT smart screens, enabling the delivery of re...

Digital signage is becoming more prevalent in retail stores. We consider how this will continue evolving as an increasing number of touchpoints and marketing opportunities emerge, especially centred around retailers’ media programmes. Multiple digital touchpoints As retailers invest in creating more convenient experiences, a variety of digital touchpoints are being utilised in physical stor...

As we look ahead to the next 12 months, at the forefront of our thinking has been the inflationary backdrop in most major markets. This has driven a significant increase in production costs and retail prices. Meanwhile the collective actions of central banks have increased borrowing costs, pressurising businesses and consumers. This has led to an intense focus on driving out costs, improving effi...

Vancouver-based Georgia Main Food Group has developed a strong local following and global retail interest since the launch of its first store under the Fresh St. Market banner in 2013. As part of the growth plan for the format, alongside new developments, the retailer has also been converting former IGA locations. We visited a newly converted store in Langley, British Columbia, to see how the for...

Target has unveiled a new look for the largest stores in its network, optimising additional space and incorporating new design elements. New space opportunity Over recent years, smaller formats have been the main focus of its format development plans. It has grown its network of stores of around 30,000 sq ft to over 100. Over the last two years, it also identified a new opportunity with sto...

Tesco has officially opened another cashierless store in London. The Tesco Express store in Chiswell Street is fitted out with Trigo’s cashierless technology, which is a combination of check-in gates, ceiling cameras and shelf scales to enable shoppers to purchase goods without needing to pay at a cash register. What makes this store even more interesting is that it offers shoppers the abil...

Israeli-based Trigo, which has developed technology to power autonomous, or checkout-free stores, has raised $100m in new funding to drive expansion in Europe and the Americas. We look at what this means for the broader sector. Taking the technology to larger stores Trigo has been one of the leading technology partners for retailers to help them develop autonomous shopping experiences. The ...

We look at how Kroger is using Everseen’s Visual AI platform to reduce customer friction and losses at self-checkouts. Reducing checkout errors Everseen’s platform is one of the most advanced in our industry, leveraging AI technologies from powerhouses including Lenovo and NVIDIA. It is being used by Kroger at over 1,700 stores to improve the shopper experience at self-checkouts, where erro...

With no real desire to create another term or label in the retail industry, and anyway p-commerce has already been bagged as participatory commerce, the Groceryshop event in Las Vegas this week cemented a view that has been fermenting in my mind for a while that we are on the cusp of a new era of personalised commerce. Achieving the dream We must take a step back and remember that personalisa...

Save-On-Foods is Canada’s fifth-largest grocery retailer, predominantly operating almost 190 supermarkets across four western provinces. This month it opened a flagship store, featuring a contemporary new look and feel and multiple new product features. We visited this store pre-opening to see how the retailer is setting a new benchmark for retailing in Canada. A new look flagship This stor...