Retail company Georg Jos. Kaes has opened its first V-mini store without staffed checkouts in Kaufbeuren. For this purpose, DRS AG has further developed its POS software solution to be used on self-checkouts, which can also be used as attended checkouts if required. The hardware concept of the checkout comes from Wanzl.
The POS software for the small store is based on the drs//POS solution, which is also used in the 39 supermarkets that the Allgäu-based retail company operates under the name V-Markt. Thus, cash accounting, connection of reverse vending machines and scales, integration of customer loyalty systems, receipt archiving, inventory management and monitoring of operations are handled by the software at the self-checkout as well as at the served cash registers at the hypermarkets by the DRS solution.
The retailer Georg Jos. Kaes developed and implemented the new small-space concept V-mini together with DRS AG and Wanzl within three quarters of a year. Shoppers use their giro or credit card to gain access to the 400 square metre store at Benzenauer Strasse 40 in Kaufbeuren, scan goods independently and pay cashless at the Wanzl self-checkout, which contains components from Datalogic and Epson.
Self-checkouts can also be used attended
Employees of the V-mini replenish goods in the store and assist customers with questions about products or technology. If necessary, they can switch the self-checkout during operation to staff-operated mode and back. Shoppers interact with the self-checkout using symbols and coloured areas with intuitive control through swipe gestures.
Kaes offers around 3,500 everyday items in the small space. Unlike other autonomous or hybrid store concepts, the V-mini is not open around the clock. Shoppers can buy goods between 7:00 am and 8:00 pm from Monday to Saturday. The V-mini’s assortment includes fruit and vegetables, dairy products, baked goods, frozen products, meat and sausage, beverages, non-food goods, drugstore and household items, batteries and pet food.
Controlled access to the alcohol and tobacco area
Alcohol and tobacco products, the sale of which is subject to strict legal regulations, are offered in a separate area. Customers have to prove by their EU driving licence or identity card that they are at least 18 years old and are then granted access through a gate.
Further V-mini shops are already being planned. As an option, self-scanning of items at the shelves of the V-mini stores can be integrated in further expansion stages, explains DRS.
