Southern Co-op completes rollout of electronic shelf edge labels

It is estimated that around £220,000 will be saved each year in paper and consumable costs such as printing

Southern Co-op has completed the rollout of electronic shelf edge labels across its stores, which it says will save staff time and reduce waste.

The regional, independent co-op, which is celebrating its 150th anniversary, says the tech delivers an environmental benefit by significantly reducing the amount of paper used in stores.

It is estimated that around £220,000 will be saved each year in paper and consumable costs such as printing.

Retail proposition manager Pete Treasure said: “We trialled the technology with Scotmid Co-op at the very end of 2020 and the feedback from store colleagues was so overwhelmingly positive that we knew we needed to move forward and roll this out across all of our stores.

“The technology has been wholeheartedly embraced by our colleagues who often found the task of replacing the paper labels tedious.

“The best thing is that it enables promotions to change over as soon as a store opens its doors. Plus the larger electronic labels can display legal information such as allergens, Think25 messaging, and home delivery options.”

The technology is manufactured by SoluM, a Samsung invested company, and is run in partnership with Cambridge based technology integrator, Herbert Retail.