Iper has become the first Italian retailer to start the transition to the GS1 DataBar standard for encoding packaged, variable weight products.
The GS1 DataBar is a smaller bar code than the traditional EAN-13, but is capable of holding more information and capturing it in a single reading.
It can record a product’s expiration date, as well as its net weight and batch number, making it ideal for fresh food of variable weight.
Iper’s switch to the new system will see the GS1 DataBar used across 17,000 products, including meat, fish, fruit and vegetables, delicatessen, cheese, bread, pasta, and pastry.
The project will be completed by the end of 2016, with the new bar code system being rolled out to 26 Iper stores in 7 Italian regions.
The latest sales point to implement the GS1 DataBar was opened on 14 April in the Arese Shopping Mall near Milan.
According to GS1 Italy Standard Development Director, Massimo Bolchini, the pilot project developed with Iper represents a model for the entire Italian FMCG sector.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
