Central England Co-op launches self-scan till trial

The retailer has revealed its Fradley Food Store, in Staffordshire, is now home to two self-scan checkouts.

The trial has been accelerated as part of ongoing efforts to keep customers safe and also hopes it will help improve the shopper experience for customers and local communities.

The new technology enables customers to quickly pay for items by card only, but still allows members to swipe their membership card and gain access to rewards.

If successful, the technology could be rolled out at further stores across the entire country.

Mark Swaffar, IT project delivery manager, said: “It is early days but we have had great feedback from customers and colleagues and will be working closely with them over the coming months to get their feedback.

“The idea behind trialling technology like self-scan is that we want to meet the expectations of our customers and ensure they have the best shopping experience possible.

“In Fradley, customers now have the option of traditional till points and self-scan and so far the reaction has been brilliant.”

Tom Parker, Fradley store manager, added: “The self-scan checkouts are enabling us to offer a different and speedier solution to our customers and members and allowing colleagues to focus more on replenishment at these busy times.

“The team has adapted really well to a big culture change and everyone has found the multi-tasking involved really easy and our service is now more efficient than ever.”

Central England Co-op is also looking at trialling other new technology, such as a scan and go app for mobile phones.

IT and digital director, Liz Robson, said: “We want to strengthen communities through quality convenience. That isn’t just about shopping at a convenience store, it is about making the customer interaction easier and more relevant for them.

“We are now investing heavily in technology to provide an online click and collect service, to install new self-scan checkouts, and to launch a scan and go app.”