From 19 to 23 February 2005, visitors to the fair can try out future technologies for tomorrow's stores

At EuroShop, The Global Retail Trade Fair, to be staged in Düsseldorf from 19 to 23 February 2005 the METRO Group will take the stage as an exhibitor for the first time. On show will be its latest developments for the future of retailing that are currently being tested and fine-tuned under real conditions in its Future Store in Rheinberg.

METRO Group's debut appearance at the world's leading retail trade fair will feature a world premiere: At its stand in the EuroCIS section, the retail giant will invite visitors to take an interactive journey ahead in time. "With the help of an entirely novel didactic concept, we aim to give members of the trade a feel for retail's future,” says Zygmunt Mierdorf, a member of the Management Board at METRO Group.

Visitors to the 800-square-metre area in Hall 7a will encounter a futuristic presentation with hands-on innovations. The technologies from the Future Store will be displayed in clearly distinguishable thematic areas - some of them never before unveiled before the public. The brains behind the presentation are placing great emphasis on making technology an experience that visitors can really get to grips with in every sense of the word. For this reason, visitors will be able to have a go at using many of the exhibits, including the intelligent scale that can recognise products optically, or the self-checkout that saves customers having to queue. Another highlight is the Personal Shopping Assistant (PSA). This mini computer attached to the shopping cart allows customers to scan in their own items and spares them detours in navigating around the store.

What is more, the METRO Group will be giving visitors to the fair an even deeper look into their crystal ball. These long-term visions include an intelligent fridge or electronic shopping list, which customers could forward via e-mail to the Future Store from the comfort of their homes.

"EuroShop 2005 is the ideal place to present the Future Store concept to retailers and their partners. We want to demonstrate the incredible benefits new technologies can offer our industry,” explains Zygmunt Mierdorf. The Future Store is the METRO Group's test case for the Future Store Initiative. Also in on the act are SAP, Intel, IBM and some 40 other companies from the IT, consumer goods and services industries. The aim of the initiative is to develop customer-friendly applications, all the while accelerating the modernisation process in retail at an international level. In the long run, the initiative also plans to draft globally applicable standards for the industry.

The METRO Group's premiere at EuroShop reaffirms the fair's position as the foremost international platform for information and communications. "We are delighted that the METRO Group will be on board at next year's event,” commented Wilhelm Niedergöker, Managing Director at Messe Düsseldorf. "The fact that such a highly reputed global heavyweight has chosen EuroShop reflects the international significance of this No. 1 fair. I feel confident that the Future Store will be one of the highlights of the 2005 event and provide the anticipated 95,000 visitors from all continents with compelling evidence of the industry's tremendous innovative drive,” emphasised Niedergöker.

Euroshop 2005 will open the doors of Halls 3-17 (excluding Hall 8) of Messe Düsseldorf to welcome trade visitors daily from Saturday, 19 February to Wednesday, 23 February between 10.00 am and 6.00 pm. One-day tickets are available for EUR 28, two-day tickets for EUR 45 and five-day tickets for EUR 90. Students and trainees pay EUR 10. Holders of admission tickets are entitled to travel for free to the fair and back on public transport within the fare zones of the Rhine-Ruhr and Rhine-Sieg Regional Transport Networks (VRR and VRS).

Up-to-date information on EuroShop 2005 can be found online at www.euroshop.de. To find out more about METRO Group's Future Store, visit www.future-store.org.
Your press contact:
Dr. Cornelia Daniels/ Sonja Zimmermann
Tel.: +49 (0)211 / 4560 -997/ -999
Fax: +49 (0)211 / 4560-8548
E-mail: DanielsC@messe-duesseldorf.de
ZimmermannS@messe-duesseldorf.de

October 2004