UK retailer Waitrose & Partners has announced that it is testing a new concept - Waitrose Unpacked - in its Botley Road shop in Oxford to explore ways to minimise plastic packaging.
Refilling Zone
As a part of the pilot project, the retailer has introduced a dedicated refilling zone and removed packaging from hundreds of products, including around fruit and vegetables.
Customers can avail ‘pick and mix’ option for frozen items and 'borrow-a-box' scheme for refilling products ranging from wine, beer, cereals to coffees as well as cleaning items.
The retailer has also removed plastic cover from its flowers and indoor plants.
The Future Of Shopping
Packaged products will also be available in the store to observe the shopping pattern of customers.
Head of CSR for Waitrose & Partners, Tor Harris, said, "This test has huge potential to shape how people might shop with us in the future so it will be fascinating to see which concepts our customers have an appetite for."
The pilot test will be carried out for a period of 11 weeks until 18 August.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.