Central England Co-op launches self-scan till trial in effort to offer customers best shopping experience

Posted by rob smyth | Published: 31/07/2020

Customers at a Central England Co-op store can now make use of its first-ever self-scan tills as part of an exciting new trial.

The retailer, which has over 260 stores across 16 counties, has revealed its Fradley Food Store, in Staffordshire, is now home to two self-scan checkouts.

As part of the Society’s ongoing efforts to do all it can to keep customers safe, it has accelerated the trial of self-scan in its stores and also hopes it will help improve the shopper experience for customers and local communities.

The new technology allows customers to quickly pay for items by card only but still allows Members to swipe their Membership card and gain access to great rewards.

If successful, the technology could be rolled out at further stores across the entire country.

Mark Swaffar, IT Project Delivery Manager, said: “We are delighted to be underway with our self-scan trial in Fradley with two units.

“It is early days but we have had great feedback from customers and colleagues and will be working closely with them over the coming months to get their feedback.

“The idea behind trialling technology like self-scan is that we want to meet the expectations of our customers and ensure they have the best shopping experience possible.

“In Fradley, customers now have the option of traditional till points and self-scan and so far the reaction has been brilliant.

“Currently, our self-scan option is card payment only but Members can still swipe their card at the machines and get all their Member benefits.

“We are proud of how the trial is going so far, look forward to receiving more feedback and cannot wait to see what it means for the future shopping experience in more of our stores in the coming weeks, months and years.”

Tom Parker, Fradley Store Manager, said: “The self-scan checkouts are enabling us to offer a different and speedier solution to our customers and members and allowing colleagues to focus more on replenishment at these busy times.

“The team has adapted really well to a big culture change and everyone has found the multi-tasking involved really easy and our service is now more efficient than ever.”

Central England Co-op is also looking at trialling other exciting new technology such as a scan and go app for mobile phones and planning funerals online.

IT and Digital Director Liz Robson said: “We want to strengthen communities through quality convenience. That isn’t just about shopping at a convenience store, it is about making the customer interaction easier and more relevant for them.

“We are now investing heavily in technology to provide an online click and collect service, to install new self-scan checkouts and to launch a scan and go app.

“Our websites are being improved so people can organise a funeral, in part, from home without the pressure of having to attend a meeting in person.”

People can view a film that outlines future plans for the Society by visiting https://bit.ly/2Nam2Py

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About Central England Co-operative

Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK with interests in food, funeral, floral, travel and property investment.

Co-operatives have always been there for their communities; they were formed to protect them and help them flourish. 

Our 7,900 colleagues who serve Members and customers work hard to ensure that co-operative values, principles and spirit flow through everything we do to help support and improve our local communities.

Owned by hundreds of thousands of Members, we have over 430 trading outlets across 16 counties including West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. 

We are proud of our reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility.

We invest a percentage of our trading profit into local communities through our Community Dividend Fund scheme, have donated over £1.3 million to our corporate charity partner Dementia UK and also operate a pioneering food redistribution partnership with FareShare Midlands so unsold food goes to those in need.

Visit www.centralengland.coop for more information or follow us on Facebook or Twitter using @mycoopfood

Press office contacts: Rob Smyth and James Brindle

Phone - 01543 421390

Email - publicrelations@centralengland.coop