Filco Supermarkets has bid farewell to its refillable packaging proposition after finding the concept was a “big waste of time and money”.
The nine-store independent Welsh retailer, which operates under a Together with Morrisons fascia, had refill stations fitted at its store in Llantwit Major for four years, and at its Sarn site since 2022.
Director Matthew Hunt told The Grocer he had dedicated six metres of room to position the stations in each store, with installation costing around £10,000, but the weekly sales were “not justifying the space”.
“Sales were £100 to £150 per week, and waste was higher than that,” he said. “Sales were only really coming from the sweet things like chocolate and nuts, so we’d be better off with a traditional pick and mix offer. Big waste of time and money in our experience.”
Hunt explained shoppers had also criticised the loose products for their premium pricing as well as inconsistent portion sizes.
“Pre-packed product was cheaper,” he said. “You had to really want to buy the loose stuff and pay a premium to do so. We found so many dumped bags of the product around the store as people were shocked by the price of the product after it was dispensed.
“They put too much in the bags and found the price could easily get towards £10. The kit did not dispense with portion control, so you get this nasty shock when you put your bag on the scale.
“It was like pick and mix in the cinema – £20 for a handful of sweets. It was a nice fad and created a bit of theatre and interest but far from viable in a supermarket or c-store. An expensive mistake!”
Filco adds to a growing list of retailers that have ended their refillable packaging propositions. Most recently, Lidl ended a three-store pilot in August of reusable packaging for laundry detergent, which it launched in 2022, and Asda scrapped a flagship four-store trial of refill aisles in July. It featured 30 core staples, including products from PG Tips, Vimto, Kellogg’s, Radox and Persil.
The Refill Coalition launched its first in-store UK pilot at an Aldi supermarket in Solihull last October. The coalition created the refill system in a bid to offer retailers and brands a standardised reusable bulk vessel. It would enable them to offer “refills at scale” as the vessel has been designed to be removed, cleaned and then sent back to suppliers to refill.
Under the second stage of the trial, Ocado became the latest major supermarket to adopt the system in August, offering its own-label basmati rice and penne pasta in the containers. Two more SKUs – Non-Bio Liquid Detergent and Clear Skies Fabric Conditioner – will be added later this year.
No comments yet