Lidl is making big changes to store layouts while adding self-checkouts and new security measures.
More space has been made at the front of store for fresh fruit & veg, along with a healthy snacking section, by moving tinned veg, pasta and sauces further back.
Frozen has been moved to a dedicated aisle near the front of the store leading to the new self-checkouts, swapping places with beer, wines and spirits, which has been placed further back.
Chilled meat, fish and poultry have been moved to the very back of the store, swapping places with dairy, which has come further forward.
In a store visited by The Grocer, in Shoreham, West Sussex, about five staffed checkouts had been removed, two making way for more fruit & veg close to the entrance and three to accommodate the new self-checkouts.
It left four remaining staffed checkouts, while the self-checkouts numbered six.
There were also new security measures, including a one-way barrier at the entrance and another at the self-checkouts where customers must scan a receipt before leaving.
Some of the layout changes, such as the additional space for fruit & veg, appear aligned with Lidl’s ambition to increase sales of ‘healthy or healthier products’. The discounter wants healthy or healthier products to constitute at least 80% its sales by tonnage by 2025, and to increase sales of fresh fruit & veg by 35% by 2026.
In a policy document on healthy and sustainable diets last updated in January this year, Lidl said it was working with a number of universities to understand the how different initiatives could influence positive behaviour change.
Along with working on reformulation with suppliers, it said it was committed to investigating the different ways it could support customers in making changes for a healthier lifestyle.
The discounter defines healthy products as foods scoring less than four points and drinks scoring less than one point using the Food Standards Agency’s nutrient profiling model.
The changes also come amid calls for the government to bring in mandatory targets for sales of healthier products for large food businesses by September 2025.
The recommendation was part of a “a plan to fix our broken food system” set out in a House of Lords Food, Diet & Obesity Committee report published past week.
Lidl has previously relied on staffed checkouts and speedy scanning by assistants, with the exception of urban stores, some of which have self-checkouts.
The Shoreham Lidl store is one of the discounter’s standard-format standalone roadside supermarkets of about 20,000 sq fit, with a car park.
Aldi makes widespread use of self-checkouts across its estate.
Lidl said it had been making enhancements to a selection of stores including expanding freezer and chiller capacity and optimising fresh produce. On self-checkouts, it said it was optimising layout to improve the overall customer experience in stores where these were the preference.
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