It was a good six months ago. That was when Josef's nahkauf box opened its automatic doors to customers in the 2,000-strong community of Pettstadt near Bamberg for the first time. We wanted to know how the mini-supermarket has been received and asked the operators and managers.
one: Has the mini supermarket been well received by customers?
Thomas Scheuring: Yes, very well indeed. We've seen a constant small increase in sales. The box is not only popular with people from Pettstadt, but also from Nuremberg and Erlangen - especially young people who come here at the weekend to stock up on Red Bull (laughs). Josefs nahkauf Box is known throughout the region, in the district of Bamberg. On Sundays, people sometimes queue outside, because 200 to 300 customers come in every day.
Florian Sörensen: That's right, Sunday is also the busiest day in terms of sales, but our customers use all days. Incidentally, the concept also impresses the experts. Josef's nahkauf Box won silver at the DHBW Heilbronn's "Retail Innovation Award 2022" in the "Smart Stores" category. And we came third in the "Concept & Store Design" category of the "Best Retail Cases" industry award.
one: What did you look for in the product range?
Günther Schmid: We wanted to display the entire product range of a supermarket, which is of course difficult on 39 square metres. That was a challenge, also because we wanted to include regionality and locality as well as organic, vegan and veggie products. To do this, we had to do without ja! products for space reasons. Which items are included in the range is therefore also a commercial decision. What is also special about the box: We don't charge any more than in the normal nahkauf and also run the same offers that are available there. This pricing policy is causing a real storm of enthusiasm among customers.
one: Apart from purchasing behaviour, how has customer feedback been so far?
Florian Sörensen is national nahkauf sales manager
Florian Sörensen: In the feedback, consumers have given us a high level of satisfaction, 94 per cent would shop in the box again.
Josef Sier: It's nice to be able to see every week whether customers are satisfied. And so far they are: most of the time we have top scores of 5 out of 5. We also respond directly to customer requests if we think they make sense. Initially, for example, there was a request for dry shampoo and Haribo Smurfs - we quickly implemented this and these products have been doing really well ever since. It's a really good collaboration with our customers.
Thomas Scheuring: It's also helpful to get tips on products that we have overlooked ourselves. For example, plasters or aluminium foil - important items that you need quickly in everyday life.
one: Which products sell best?
Thomas Scheuring : Chilled drinks sell best, especially in the hot summer temperatures we've had this year. The same goes for fresh products - salads, sandwiches, snacks to go. We even had to double the fresh produce section after a short time, as fruit and vegetables were much better received than we had expected. Some things work very well in the supermarket that don't work at all in the box. That's a matter of experience and discovery. But overall, there is no longer an item in our range that doesn't rotate.
The box covers 39 square metres. Customers can find around 800 items here.
one: What experiences over the past few months do you particularly remember?
Günther Schmid: You always see happy people when you're here, and the community is very happy that Josef's nahkauf box is here.
Josef Sier: Overall, the box is a success! In conjunction with a main store, you also enhance your image in the district. That's a great thing.
one: Now that the pilot has got off to such a successful start, what's next? Are more nahkauf boxes planned?
Florian Sörensen: Two more pilot stores are currently planned, one in the east and one in the Ahr valley.
Stefan Weiß is responsible for REWE's sales department in the management of REWE Markt GmbH
one: In Bavaria, the issue of opening hours was controversial, but in the end, Josefs Box was also allowed to open on Sundays. How have politicians in other federal states and at a national level reacted to this innovative way of supplying food?
Stefan Weiß: The signals are positive, because politicians are very interested in local supply. Particularly in rural areas, we can close one or two gaps with the nahkauf box and contribute to improving the quality of life.
Josef Sier (photo, centre) is the namesake of the box, which he runs together with Thomas Scheuring (left). Their (product range) experience in the classic nahkauf business serves them well as operators of the box. Günther Schmid (right) is nahkauf sales manager in the southern region.
Both German and English comments appear here.
Hello everyone, I had to look for the article again because I thought it was a great idea. Even if this concept is intended more for rural areas, I wonder whether this or something similar would not also be a concept for a new development area in Bonn Vilich-Müldorf (Wohnpark II). However, I am thinking of a sustainable variant in cooperation with housing projects and the local citizens' association and, of course, the city, which may only be accessible to customers by S-Bahn and bicycle - this would have to be analysed. That would be a longer-term new-build project. Who can I contact about this? Many thanks in advance.
... a fantastic idea and realisation. This opens up opportunities for rural areas, where local supply is almost at a standstill. The Nahkauf box is a great way to close this gap. Let's hope for many locations in areas where it is important that there is a shopping opportunity (again). Many stationary village shops have now closed...
I would celebrate if a box would also come to 50181 Bedburg-Rath. There is neither a kiosk nor a bakery. For almost 1,000 residents (including many senior citizens), there is no option to buy groceries. REWE Dugandzic in Bedburg can only be reached by car.