All good things come in threes: with the opening in Lorsbach, nahkauf merchant Paolo Pennella now operates three nahkauf boxes. The first two are located in Langenhain and Wildsachsen. In contrast to these, the new mini-supermarket at Alt-Lorsbach 6 is an innovative in-house solution in a new building constructed by Hofheimer Wohnungsbau GmbH (HWB).

REWE is thus continuing the concept test of the flexible format, which is intended to ensure the supply of fresh food and everyday products in smaller communities, in this form. On a sales area of 119 square metres - easily accessible and operated without staff - customers can shop 24 hours a day in the new nahkauf Box in Lorsbach. Around 2,500 items are on offer.

The EC (giro) card is a means of payment and door opener. Owner Paolo Pennella (centre) explains how it works. | Photo: ©Anja Loewe The nahkauf box concept is extremely simple and offers an uncomplicated shopping experience. Customers can access the walk-in store around the clock using their debit or credit card. There they can move around freely and put together their shopping at their leisure. The assortment ranges from fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy and frozen products to dry goods, non-alcoholic drinks and drugstore items. Special emphasis is placed on REWE store brands, organic products and regional and local suppliers.

The payment process is cashless. Customers use a debit or credit card to pay for their purchases at a self-checkout till, where each item must be scanned independently. After the payment process, they can leave the store with their purchase.

Paolo Pennella ensures maintenance and care as well as the supply of goods via his main store in Diedenbergen.

Teamwork pays off: Mathis Neth (Sales Manager nahkauf national), nahkauf salesman Paolo Pennella, Martina Lenhart (Sales Consultant nahkauf) and Frank Henn (Sales Manager nahkauf Central Region) celebrate the new opening. | Photo: ©Anja Loewe His wish is to establish the new store as a local meeting point in the Hofheim district of Lorsbach, as he did previously in Wildsachsen and Langenhain: "We are delighted to be realising another project together with the city of Hofheim, REWE and the HWB and expanding the nahkauf Box concept locally. 'Paolo's nahkauf Box' is now available for the third time in Hofheim - the first city in the whole of Germany to do so. The new in-house solution, which represents a further innovative step in local supply, is particularly noteworthy," Pennella is convinced. "The previous locations in Wildsachsen and Langenhain have shown impressively how well the offer has been received and what added value this type of local supply offers for the citizens. We are convinced that this project will also seamlessly build on the previous success," continues Pennella.

"Securing local supply in our more rural neighbourhoods is one of our biggest challenges. The nahkauf box concept in Langenhain and Wildsachsen is already a great part of the solution there. We are therefore delighted that such a solution is now also possible for Lorsbach. Even with the charm of a real village shop," said Mayor Wilhelm Schultze, welcoming the new grocery offer in his town.

Norman Diel, Chairman of the Managing Directors of HWB, added: "As a housing association, we have also seen ourselves as an urban developer for many years. We therefore see securing local amenities for the people who live in our portfolio as part of our mission. We have recently completed two major construction projects in Lorsbach. The REWE Walk-In Store is the next pleasing piece of the puzzle that fits in there."