Spar Dundonald, which is owned and serviced by the Henderson Group, went live in February with Electronic Shelf Edge Labels (ESELs), Self Checkout and an improved Deals offering from Business Computer Projects (BCP), Spar’s long-term IT partner.
According to BCP, Self-checkout offers a fast and easy option for non-fuel customers at the store, while ESEL ensures shelf prices are always up to date, delivers paper and labor savings, and offers flexibility in pricing to optimize sales and revenue.
The new advanced SparPOS Deals Engine is able to handle multiple competing deals containing the same products. On each scan, it re-evaluates all possible deals that can be made up from the basket to ensure the customer gets the best deal available.
Behind the scenes, SparPOS contains a completely revamped method of communications between till and back office and allows for mixed HydraPOS (fuel) tills and SparPOS tills on the same site.
The Dundonald store is piloting the new technology which, if successful, will be implemented in other stores in the Henderson group and, potentially, to stores across the whole UK Spar estate.
Self-checkout is not just for larger stores. We believe that many smaller express type stores could benefit from it, using it to smooth the peaks at lunch time or any other busy period within the store, commented Roy Ford, Spar IT controller.
Indications are good to date, the company said, with some 20% of sales, on average, already going through the two self-checkout tills at Spar Dundonald.
