Supermarket chain Sainsbury’s has today announced that it is to trial a new store design in six supermarkets across the UK in response to new shopping trends.
The new look will include a range of checkout options and a “radically different” layout, which will include a new ‘Food to Go’ section located at the front of the store, along with the fresh bakery section so customers can purchase fresh products quickly.
Non-food products such as kitchen and homeware items, mobile phones and Sainsbury’s clothing range, Tu, will see an increased space of 30%.
As well as creating more store space, Sainsbury’s are also testing its new shopping app, ‘SmartShop’, where customers can scan in their shopping list at home, then once at the store, the app will bring up a map locating the items, then paying via their mobile phone.
Chief executive of Sainsbury’s, Mike Coupe, said: “The majority of people still do most of their shopping in supermarkets and that’s a trend that will continue, but we need to make our supermarkets more convenient for people who visit often to do a smaller shop.
“This trial is about seeing how far we can go in catering for every shopping mission, whether someone wants to pop in quickly to buy a sandwich for lunch, or whether they have more time and want inspiration for the home, or advice on tech and gadgets. No matter what customers are buying, we know that everyone wants to check out as quickly as possible and giving customers more checkout options to suit them is key to the trial.”
The stores that trailing the new shopping trend are: Alperton in London; Devizes in Wiltshire; Emersons Green in Bristol; Harpenden in Hertfordshire; Morecambe in Lancashire and Tamworth in Staffordshire.
