A big event at Nordpark in Mönchengladbach: Aral pulse, Aral's e-mobility brand, has opened the company's first pure e-charging park (without a conventional petrol station) in Germany in the presence of North Rhine-Westphalia's Environment and Transport Minister Oliver Krischer and Mönchengladbach's Mayor Felix Heinrichs. While the car is charging, drivers and passengers, as well as all other customers, can shop around the clock.

Charge, shop and relax
A smart store under the REWE To Go brand is located right next to the charging points. The product range of the 54 square metre store includes many familiar products from the REWE To Go range, such as fresh snacks, classic on-the-go snacks and hot and cold drinks. Customers can expect a modern lounge area with indoor and outdoor seating, toilets and free Wi-Fi. To shop, customers first scan a cashless payment method, such as a credit card. They can then pick the desired products from refrigerators. Thanks to artificial intelligence, supported by cameras and weight sensors, the system automatically recognises which items have been selected - and the invoice amount is deducted from the previously scanned means of payment.

Smart store with seating
"We are celebrating a double premiere today: for the first pure charging park from Aral, we have developed a Smart Store with a lounge area and seating for the first time," says Patrick Steppe, CEO of Lekkerland. "Because along with mobility, on-the-go consumption is also constantly evolving. The offer of this unmanned shop is therefore tailored to the needs of e-car drivers."

The charging park for electric vehicles is Aral pulse's largest facility of its kind in Germany to date and is located in Mönchengladbach's Nordpark business park, in the immediate vicinity of the A61 motorway. The charging park comprises 14 ultra-fast charging stations with an output of up to 400 kilowatts. Each charging station offers two charging points, which means a total of 28 charging bays for electric cars. Further charging parks of this type are being planned.

The REWE To Go convenience format can now be found at around 900 Aral locations - until now, these were exclusively petrol stations. The first charging park has now been added in Mönchengladbach.

Snacks and more in the Smart BOX
Walk in, choose an item, walk out - shopping in the new REWE ready convenience shop at the EnBW fast-charging park in Kamen is so convenient. Artificial intelligence makes it possible: cameras record which items customers pick out. The amount due is automatically debited from a cashless payment method once the purchase has been completed. The shop, which opened a few days ago, is the first of its kind at Lekkerland.

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With 52 HPC charging points for ultra-fast charging with up to 400 kilowatts of power, the fast-charging park near the Kamener Kreuz motorway junction, which opened in 2021, is the energy company's largest in the EnBW HyperNetz network. Regardless of whether they use the charging park or not, shop customers can choose from a wide range of products for immediate consumption 24/7. The range of around 250 products includes various coffee specialities, snacks such as sandwiches, wraps and salads as well as chilled drinks, ice cream and sweet and savoury snacks. Selected groceries round off the range.

"The opening of this shop is a milestone for Lekkerland. With the 'Smart BOX' concept used here, we are utilising the most sophisticated smart store technology with AI to offer the most convenient shopping experience possible," says Mehmet Töze, Vice President Smart Stores at Lekkerland.

With the new opening in Kamen, Lekkerland now operates unmanned shops at three EnBW fast-charging parks. The other two locations are the EnBW fast-charging parks in Bispingen (Lower Saxony) and Lichtenau near Chemnitz (Saxony).