Jempson’s rolls out electronic shelf labels across convenience store estate

Independent retailer Jempson’s has installed electronic shelf labels across its five convenience stores in East Sussex.

The move has seen 25,000 paper-based price tags replaced with ESLs, helping to improve accuracy, customer service and save staff time.

Jempson’s previously relied on staff members to update the price labels in-store every three weeks, with up to 4,500 SKUs in four stores and 12,000 in its larger convenience store. 

The night before prices were set to change, all price labels would be removed from the shelves and then updated the next morning, taking time and creating potential for human error with discrepancies between the paper labels and the till prices.

The ESL system, supplied by Panasonic, links into the retailer’s core price management system and is centrally controlled, meaning pricing information is automatically updated.

This had resulted in a 100% reduction of errors, saved staff time by 80% on pricing updates and cut queueing time at checkouts by getting rid of price mismatches, the retailer said. 

“The result has undoubtedly been a labour and cost-saving for the business,” said Jempson’s MD Stephen Jempson. “The staff no longer have to worry about updating the labels because they can do it at the click of a button and then focus their attention elsewhere in the store.

“The savings on paper labels, ink and printers are also a positive benefit.”

The rollout was completed this month.