SPAR grocery store embraces new technologies

The store has implemented Delfi Technologies' cloud solution and mobile app to manage the store's electronic price tags

This year, the co-operative association Tikøb could celebrate its 100th anniversary. Today, the SPAR grocery store in Tikøb is one of the stores in the chain that is at the forefront when it comes to implementing new technology. Most recently, the store has implemented a cloud solution and mobile app to manage the store's electronic price tags.

In Tikøb in North Zealand, you will find the co-operative association Tikøb, which could celebrate its 100th anniversary on March 14, 2020. The store has for more than 30 years bought its goods from the grocery wholesaler Dagrofa and has been part of the chain concept SPAR since 2015.

The Store Manager, Morten Wagner, has run the store for more than 15 years - and he is not alone. In fact, there are several members in the staff who can celebrate many years anniversary in the store.

Even though the association is in long in years, it does not mean that the way the grocery store is run is old-fashioned. Rather the opposite, SPAR Tikøb is one of the many stores in the SPAR chain that follows the development and is keen to implement new technology.

Back in 2012, the store decided to replace the paper with electronic price tags from Delfi Technologies, so it was no longer necessary to spend time changing prices back and forth in connection with the weekly campaign changes. In addition to price and campaign changes, there are often also many changes to the product information such as description, supplier information, country, etc. All of which are today updated automatically directly on the shelves throughout the store.

Introduces new cloud technology in the store

Morten Wagner had no doubt when he got the opportunity to upgrade the system with electronic price tags to a new cloud-based solution. This practically means that employees now can use their phones to connect goods with electronic price tags.

Previously, it was necessary to have a handheld terminal, which is typically always located in the back room at the store office, so you had to go back and forth every time there was a need for a new price tag. In this way, the employees release the traditional handheld terminal to concentrate on other tasks such as ordering goods.

New prices and product information will automatically appear at the shelves from the store system (POS / ERP), so when a change occurs, the respective price tags are updated immediately

User-friendly mobile app saves time

In the store, most employees work with handling goods and new price tags during a work day. Even the butcher does not question the winnings of having switched to the new cloud platform, where you can handle this work via an app on your phone, which can also be used for product lookup.

- It is a great help when you can just pick up the phone when you have some new meat ready that needs a price tag. Then you can just scan the barcode on the item and the barcode on the price tag to link the two together. You do not have to go out to the office first to pick up the handheld terminal - everything can be done with the mobile app, says Martin Bækkel Sørensen, who is butcher in the store.

New benefits for yellow price

Today, new offers are automatically highlighted with a red color directly on the electronic price tags. This means that when a new offer comes from the system, the shelf edge is automatically updated and the display changes color from black and white to highlights in red. With the new cloud solution, the store can also use a yellow color for e.g. goods with Yellow Price. Yellow Price always means a low price on more than 350 popular groceries at your local SPAR and MinKøbmand store.

- The use of the cloud solution opens so many new opportunities to take advantage of. It is much more flexible and saves additional time every day, says Morten Wagner.

If other SPAR / Dagrofa stores with existing Breece installation want to use an online cloud solution rather than local installation on PC in the store, then this simply requires a remote software migration from Breece On-Premises to Breece Cloud (if Dynamic antennas are used).

SPAR is part of Dagrofa, which also operates the chains MENY, Min Købmand, and Let-Køb in Denmark. Under the auspices of Dagrofa, 250 stores have today installed the Breece solution with fully graphic electronic shelf fronts, which can automatically update price and item information on the shelves. The stores also include several installations in Greenland (Pisiffik and Akiki) and the Faroe Islands (SMS/Miklagardur, Bonus, and Rumbul).