New format based on focus group ideas June 6 2002 Sainsbury’s has taken the concept of self service supermarkets to a new level with the opening of a store developed from a customer wish list.
The customer-focused store at Hazel Grove, Manchester, features technology and services new to the UK. These include a vending machine for fresh products such as milk, available outside normal opening hours. There is also a separate area stocking convenience lines for customers in a hurry.
Sainsbury’s asked 20 shoppers of different ages and lifestyles to draw their ideal store. The designs put forward have been used to develop the services on offer.
This includes personal shoppers, a first for UK supermarkets, with the �5 charge including a free drink at the store cafe.
There is an Easy Checkout, with a dedicated member of staff to process and pack shopping, and priority parking for parents with young children. Internet shoppers can collect orders from a drive-through point at a prearranged time.
Diana Hunter, Sainsbury’s future stores manager, said: “We were impressed with the ideas the group put forward and they really gave us something to get our teeth into. We are absolutely delighted with the new store and are fully cinfident that our customers are going to be as pleased with the final result as we are”.
