In spring 2022, Lekkerland presented its smart store solutions to the public for the first time. A lot has happened since then. Michael Mayer-Sonnenburg and Mehmet Tözge from Lekkerland explain exactly what in this interview.
one: Trade media and LinkedIn are full of reports on the topic of smart stores. The interest seems to be huge. How do you perceive this?
Michael Mayer-Sonnenburg
Michael Mayer-Sonnenburg: We can confirm this. We are working on many projects that will culminate in the opening of a new smart store in the coming months. We are also holding talks with numerous interested parties.
one: Which industries do the interested parties and customers come from?
Mehmet Tözge : It's very different. They include operators of hospitals and charging parks, universities, airport and railway station operators, but also oil companies.
one: Why is there so much interest in smart stores?
Mehmet Tözge
Mehmet Tözge: I think there are two main reasons for this. Firstly, consumers love convenience. They want to be able to get what they need easily and at any time. They are much more open to cashless payment and new technologies than they used to be. From ordering via touchscreen to self-checkout at the supermarket, DIY store or fashion shop - services that simplify and speed up shopping are being accepted and demanded by consumers.
This leads to the second reason. Existing shops show that smart store solutions work - and are made for on-the-go consumption. Even if we are only at the beginning and we, our partners and other providers are still learning a lot.
one: Last year, you presented four smart store solutions from Lekkerland. What has happened since then?
Michael Mayer-Sonnenburg: A lot! For example, we opened the first smart store at a charging park in Bispingen in autumn and the first autonomous shop under the REWE To Go brand in a hospital in Düsseldorf in March.
Smart vending machine in Bispingen
The shop concept used there - Smart Kiosk - is now also available to employees in various Lekkerland logistics centres. And employees at the Lekkerland headquarters have been able to shop in the Smart Box since March, allowing them to test and experience the most sophisticated technology in our portfolio.
Mehmet Tözge: We have also made enormous progress in the development and testing of smart store concepts. The tests of different concepts at the Lekkerland headquarters have played an important role in this, as have the findings from the existing (pilot) locations.
We have always said that consumers decide which smart store solutions work at which locations. Today, we are at least a little smarter about this question and can advise customers and interested parties even better. We have also broadened our positioning even further: Our portfolio now includes five smart store solutions.
Michael Mayer-Sonnenburg: What's more, we can combine our existing concepts with each other. As a result, we can now offer every customer and every prospective customer the concept that best suits their location - in combination with attractive brands such as REWE To Go. This portfolio is unique in Germany.
And we realise that: The interest and potential are huge. We are preparing some exciting openings for the coming months.
one: Thank you very much for the interview!
As Director Franchise & Convenience Stores at Lekkerland, Michael Mayer-Sonnenburg is responsible for the sales department of Lekkerland's concepts for autonomous shops, whose development Mehmet Tözge leads as Director Smart Store Development.
