Lidl

Aldi Nord is testing a modified self-checkout strategy at three stores in Germany. Similar to its competitor Lidl, the discounter is using GK's software consistently for both manned checkouts and self-checkouts. The discounter also uses the same hardware components in the checkout lanes as at the self-checkouts. The counter for the current self-checkout prototype is supplied by shopfitting specialist Kesseböhmer.

After years of testing different systems and processes in Portugal, the UK, France and the Netherlands, Lidl has now apparently found its way forward for Scan&Go: self-scanning is coming to Europe as a feature of Lidl Plus, the discounter's loyalty app.

Hornbach is implementing AI-based forecasting and replenishment solutions from Relex across Europe. With the platform from the Finnish software provider, the DIY store operator is replacing SAP's F&R Engine.

Retail companies in the German speaking countries are already achieving efficiency gains, as demonstrated by practical examples of artificial intelligence at the checkout processes at Netto, at Rewe Group and in store layout planning at Rossmann. The use of AI in sales support and task management at M-Preis demonstrates how the technology makes employees’ work easier. AI also provides tips…

Retail companies today have unprecedented opportunities to use technology to bring their customers out of anonymity and to gain valuable data about individual purchasing behaviour. If retail companies succeed in consistently using customer data collected at various touchpoints, they create ideal conditions for completely transforming the way they do business and communicate with their customers.

Self-checkout technology continues to grow in the retail sector. According to the latest report from RBR Data Services, now part of Datos Insights, more than 217,000 self-checkout devices were delivered worldwide last year.

Aldi Nord is piloting a customer loyalty programme for the first time. Users of the Aldi app can collect bonus points in 70 of the discounter's stores in Belgium. The application was developed together with software specialist GK.

In one of the largest technology projects in Europe, Aldi Nord has built a completely new SAP-based merchandise management IT system in the cloud under the decisive influence of Accenture consultants. However, the conversion of the first pilot region was anything but a success: the inventory record in the system no longer worked in the Dutch region Culemborg, resulting in…

While Lidl has already implemented the new self-checkouts throughout Romania, the major roll-out in Germany, as well as in other countries such as Spain and Italy, will apparently start in Lidl's next financial year, which begins in March and ends in February 2025.

Food waste is a major problem. In Germany alone, 11 million tonnes of food ended up being thrown away in 2020, according to the National Statistics Office. Of this, 7 per cent (0.8 million tonnes) came from the retail sector. To combat food waste, 14 major German wholesale and grocery retailers signed an agreement with the Federal Ministry of Food…