Univerexport has become the first Serbian food retailer to implement electronic shelf labelling (ESL).
The technology has been introduced at Univerexport’s newest store, which opened last November at the Aviv Park Shopping Mall in the Belgrade district of Zvezdara. It is currently only being used in the store's fruit and vegetable department.
Announcing the change, the company explained that traditional paper-based price-labelling is expensive, error prone and often slow, while the use of ESL is more reliable and will enable it to keep pace with global trends and consumer needs. In addition, ESL provides the company with the ability to manage prices in real time, based on variable market conditions.
Additional benefits include a 100-per-cent correlation of prices between cash registers and shelves, as well as a reduction of costs through the elimination of manual price changes, while also helping the store to protect the environment.
Univerexport invested approximately €1.5 million in the new 1,500-square-metre store, where shoppers can choose from more than 15,000 different products, including 600 from Univerexport’s own private-label brands.
In 2016, the retailer is planning to upgrade its existing network of 120-plus stores and create a centralised distribution centre in Novi Sad to optimise its logistics and inventory management. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is considering the provision of finance for the project.
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
