Delfi Technologies A/S

In mid-November 2019, MENY Viby Sjælland and the experienced grocer Hans Olesen could welcome a modern food market, which now is ready for the future after million-class renovation project.

When you visit MENY Viby Sjælland, you arrive to a food market which has been upgraded with new interior and a greater selection of products has been added to the range. The staff can also concentrate on serving and advising customers, as electronic shelf labels automatically update all prices on the goods.

- It is all about providing good service to make sure the customers will come back. With electronic shelf labels, we can work faster, which allows us to free up time for our staff – time that instead can be spend on serving customers and making the store look inviting, says Hans Olesen, who will soon celebrate his 40th anniversary as a grocer.

SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE
Many adjustments have been made to the assortment because the customer needs have changed over the past few years. Among other things, there is a greater demand for gluten-free and lactose-free products today. Vegan products have also got more space in the store.

- We must listen to our customers and follow their needs. That is why we constantly look at our product range and make sure we can offer something for everyone, says Hans Olesen.

For many customers, it is important that it is easy and fast to cook. Both when it comes to shopping and the cooking itself. Therefore, the delicacy has also got more space with a larger selection of ready-to-go dishes.

GOOD PLANNING AND RENEWAL
With many years of grocery experience in the luggage, Hans Olesen is a very knowledgeable grocer, but he is also a grocer who keeps up with the trends and welcomes renewal in the store.

- When it comes to running a store, it is basically about good planning and renewal. With good planning, we can make sure that customers can find all the goods they need in one place - and then there should be staff ready to help them. Renewal helps to ensure that customers also come back again because they get a good shopping experience, explains Hans Olesen.

MENY is part of the Dagrofa grocery group. The majority of the Group's stores are operated by independent merchants. Nationwide, more than 200 Dagrofa stores (MENY, SPAR, Min Købmand and Let-Køb) have installed the Breece solution with electronic shelf labels.

ABOUT MENY
MENY is the whole of Denmark's new food market and is owned by Dagrofa together with the country's independent grocers. The chain consists of approx. 116 stores in Denmark and employ over 5,500 employees.

After 10 years of close cooperation with Dagrofa, Delfi Technologies has now reached a milestone of 200 Dagrofa stores that have installed our Breece solution with electronic shelf labels (ESL). It's the chains Meny, SPAR and Min Købmand thsat use electronic shelf labels to ensure the correct price at the shelves. This minimizes price errors and releases time for other tasks in the store.

The first Dagrofa installation was made in 2010 with then SuperBest (today MENY) Østerfæled Torv at Østerbro in Copenhagen. Today, the latest Breece Cloud technology is being deployed to the stores. With Breece Cloud you don't have to install software locally in the store as you can manage the solution online. It provides a great flexibility in the daily operation of stores.

At the same time Irma, a Danish grocery chain, could celebrate its 133rd birthday, the chain also opened a new flagship store at Østerport station in Copenhagen. Besides showing renewal and being able to ensure the customers updated prices using electronic shelf labels, the store also presents the future of Irma.

Centrally located in Copenhagen and amidst the flow of passengers, Irma Østerport reopened in August under the concept "The Urban Irma", which is part of the chain's five-year strategy, which also will transform 45 Irma stores by the end of 2022 – from being purely cultivated supermarkets to become a food house with an affiliated supermarket.

The reopening of Irma Østerport as a food house took place after two and a half years of reconstruction in connection with the establishment of the new Østerport Metro station. In the new food hall, you will among other things, find a street kitchen where suppliers can sell and test new concepts. There are also special departments for the green and fast food - and electronic shelf labels are also part of the new concept.

- With electronic shelf labels, we can ensure our customers updated prices, as the price of the shelf will match the price at checkout. It is a clear advantage in the daily work, where we save time on price changes – and instead, we can focus on creating better and more interesting food experiences, says Store Manager, Jørn Larsen.

WILL HELP IRMA TO MOVE FORWARD TO YEAR 2022
Irma Østerport is the first store to fully embody the chain's new concept. In the store, you will also find a new initiative called 'Irma’s Food Lab', which is a pop-up takeaway where suppliers and food startups can sell and try new concepts according to season and market trends.

The design of the new flagship store has also taken busy visitors into consideration and the store has therefore made sure that shopping food won't require much time. The decor is divided into a food hall and a supermarket. In the food hall, Irma focuses on to-go dining experiences, where a special feature is a new special section for the green meal that targets vegetarians, vegans, and flexitarians in the city.

ABOUT IRMA
Irma is Denmark's oldest grocery chain and the second oldest supermarket in Europe. The first Irma store saw the light of day in 1886 and ever since the beginning, Irma has been responsible for food joy, quality and responsibility. Today, Irma has over 80 stores on Zealand.

On August 22nd, the grocery chain Spar opened its doors to a brand new store with international concepts in the South of Copenhagen area, Sydhavn. The new store offers a modern shopping experience where it should be easy, convenient and enjoyable to shop – with digital prices on electronic shelf labels as one of the initiatives.

Spar is the world's largest chain of merchants with more than 13,000 stores in 48 countries. In close cooperation with Spar International, the Dagrofa Group is behind the opening of the brand new flagship store in Teglholmen (Sydhavn) – a newer district in Copenhagen. It is a well-known merchant from Jutland, Ronnie Borregaard, with Copenhagen experience and strong results behind him, who is leading the new Spar store. He has also been preparing and developing the concepts in the store since June 1st.
 
As the first Spar in Denmark, the new store launched the international concept, Spar Natural, which brings together organic, vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free products in one place. The 698 m2 new store also offers customers a wide convenience assortment with sandwiches, salads and light dishes as well as juice presser, nuts and a large selection of fruits and vegetables. In addition to this, the prices are always updated as they are displayed digitally on electronic shelf labels.

- Together with Spar, I have worked on creating a new shopping experience in Copenhagen, where the competition is tough, and you must be able to offer something special. We're providing the district a strong local grocery store, where you can experience new specialty products from smaller suppliers. At the same time, we ensure correct prices on the shelves by using electronic shelf labels, so we avoid unnecessary time on price errors and then we can be there for our customers instead, says Ronnie Borregaard, merchant at Spar Teglholmen.  

ABOUT SPAR
SPAR is one of the Dagrofa Group's local retail chains and today consists of 138 stores throughout Denmark. The SPAR stores are primarily owned and operated by independent merchants. In addition, Dagrofa also owns some SPAR stores. The SPAR merchant cherishes the local and is the meeting point in the local community. Internationally, SPAR is represented in 50 countries and comprises more than 12,000 stores.

Since ICA merchant, Jan Sikström, took over the ICA Ettan store in Sundsvall (Sweden) in 2016, he has almost tripled the turnover from SEK 15 million to SEK 40 million. Today, the store has 15 employees and approximately 5,000 different items on the shelves. In 2016, a major renovation of the store was carried out, which also introduced a wider range of organic products - and the positive development continues. One of the newer initiatives is the introduction of Breece's electronic shelf labels from Delfi Technologies, which saves both time and costs in the store.

In late 2018, Jan Sikström installed Breece's electronic shelf labels from Delfi, after using paper labels and trying out other systems on the market. Breece offers a great flexibility and is a system that is very easy to handle when it comes to connecting displays to products, getting automatic price updates, getting multi-piece prices and product information in general – directly on the digital shelf label.

- We are constantly looking into new initiatives in order to constantly ensure the development of our business. That is also why we implemented electronic shelf labels from Delfi Technologies, which is an incredible help every day in the store. Having previously spent a few days a week preparing campaigns, multi-piece prices, product and price changes, we now spend only a few minutes a week on this, and everything runs automatically, says grocer Jan Sikström.
 
TIME-SAVING SOLUTION WITH ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES
- Now we can use the released time on more promotional activities and customer service in the store, where we've especially have improved our fruit and vegetable department. The solution with Breece Mobile makes us more mobile as we can link products to connected displays, move products around, etc. directly at the shelf, without having to sit down in the office, says grocer Jan Sikström.

ICA Ettan looked at several suppliers before replacing an existing ESL solution. They choice felt on Breece from Delfi Technologies, which according to Jan Sikström could offer a much more user-friendly and technically better system compared to other solutions in the market. The system is incredibly easy to install as the communication device (antenna) can be connected directly to the store's existing ICA network. The antenna uses radio technology at its own frequency, around 868 MHz, and has nothing to do with regular WiFi, making the solution incredibly flexible to install in different environments. Also, one of the requirements was that the solution and the company must be approved by ICA IMS, which Breece and Delfi Technologies is.

- We chose to go with the Breece solution from Delfi because it's incredibly easy to work with the solution. There is tremendous flexibility as well as unlimited possibilities in terms of design and expression on the display. Besides that, it is a future-proof solution in constant development with new functionality, says Jan Sikström.

The Breece solution is currently installed locally in the store, called Breece On-Premises. It is also possible to choose a cloud solution from Breece where no software or hardware is required in the store, but where everything is in the cloud. Moving the solution to the cloud and increasing the flexibility further, for example where the store can use a regular mobile phone to handle the solution off the shelf, is one of the next planned initiatives for ICA Ettan.

ICA Group, one of the Nordic region's largest players in the grocery trade, has innovation on the agenda. ICA Ettan in Granloholm is no exception – the local ICA Nära store is a first-mover when it comes to implementing improvements in all areas of the business.

ABOUT ICA
ICA Sverige is with its approx. 1,300 stores, and a market share of approximately 36 percent, the leading grocery store in Sweden. The company is run together with free ICA retailers, who each own and run their own store and thus can meet customers through locally customized concepts and offers.

Plantorama introduces electronic shelf labels in all stores, which significantly reduces the chain's paper consumption. The project will strengthen the chain's green profile and will have a positive influence on the customer experience and the employee’s satisfaction.

In February 2019, Plantorama installed electronic shelf labels in the garden center, Plantorama Egå, near Aarhus in Denmark. Based on positive experiences, the chain has now decided to roll out electronic shelf labels for the remaining 10 garden centers distributed over Jutland, Zealand, and Funen.

- We have successfully tested electronic shelf labels in our garden center in Aarhus, which has already saved us both time and paper. We will now bring this gain to all stores so we can become even more efficient in the longer term, while we can gain a great financial gain at chain level, says Heidi Paaske Christensen, project coordinator at Plantorama.
 
PAPER CONSUMPTION IS KEPT AS LOW AS POSSIBLE
The new electronic shelf labels focus on customer needs, but they take the employees in account so that they can spend more time on their core tasks such as sales and customer service. So far, the project has had a positive influence on the customer experience and employee satisfaction, and has led to a great saving in paper, explains Heidi Paaske Christensen:

- By using electronic shelf labels, we ensure updated prices in all stores, give our employees more time for sales and customer service while ensuring that consumption of paper is kept as low as possible.

The rollout begins in the autumn of 2019 and all stores will be operational before February 1, 2020, when the new season starts. The installation takes place during the opening hours by the employees themselves and will not affect the operation of the stores.

ABOUT PLANTORAMA
Plantorama is Denmark's largest garden and animal center chain with everything for the garden, housing, and animals. Plantorama is a Danish family business with garden centers throughout the country. The first garden center was founded back in 1987 in Egå near Aarhus with a range of houseplants. Today, the Plantorama range ranges widely; garden plants and house plants, soil and fertilizer, garden pots and hides, utility and home furnishings, as well as animal accessories and live animals.

At Hospice Søholm and several other healthcare institutions, there is a need for continuous update of content on room signage. To achieve an easier and more efficient administration of rooms, Hospice Søholm has therefore implemented digital room signage solution.

The right information is crucial in front of storage rooms, living rooms and other premises at Hospice Søholm, where the digital room signage solution from Delfi Technologies has been implemented. In this way, it is possible to update the signs with one click without having to change anything manually in front of the rooms. This gives Hospice Søholm a clear overview of every room while changes to the signs easily can be made online.

- It's easy to manage our rooms with digital room signage and the included software where we can manage and update the content online. We can also decide how the design should look like and what kind of information there should be on the digital room signs. In addition, it all runs as a subscription, so we can easily make changes as our needs change, says Knud Skytthe, Technical Service Manager at Hospice Søholm.

With low installation costs and the possibility of purchasing the solution via a subscription, the solution differs from other digital signage solutions on the market. The room signage solution runs wirelessly and the installation itself is both easy and fast. The digital signs also have replaceable batteries, so you can easily and quickly replace the batteries yourself.
 
MORE BENEFITS OF DIGITAL SIGNAGE TO THE HEALTHCARE SECTOR
It is not only at Hospice Søholm there is a need for digital signage - most other hospices, nursing homes, elderly homes, and hospitals must keep track of many different rooms. Simultaneously, there is also a need of being able to continuously update the content on the signs in front of meeting rooms, storage rooms, living rooms and other types of rooms. There are plenty of benefits, says Knud Skytthe:

- I could easily imagine that other institutions in the healthcare sector could achieve the same - and even more benefits from digital signage. We also plan to be more digital on other areas. In addition to digital signs from Delfi Technologies, it is also possible to attach a digital monitor solution – this one of the areas we are looking into.

In the same way as with digital signs, there is a possibility of attaching a digital monitor solution to the same platform where a TV can be used as an information screen to create an overview in e.g. a reception, information desk or similar places. The content of the info screen can be customized and updated online in the same way as with the digital signs.

ABOUT HOSPICE SØHOLM
In Stavtrup near Brabrand lake Hospice Søholm is located, which is a self-governing institution with an operating agreement with Region Midtjylland. To be placed on a hospice, a sick person must have a life-threatening illness, accompanied by complex issues of a physical, mental, social and/or existential nature. It is also important that the sick person wants a stay at a hospice.

The local Spar grocery store in Klitmøller (Denmark) has grown and has over the past year made a massive million investment in a comprehensive modernization of the store. With almost a doubling of the store area and the introduction of new food concepts, the ambition is to become the preferred shopping place in the local area.

At Spar in Klitmøller, the owner, Mikael Konradsen, has created extraordinary results - something that in 2018 also has given him a nomination for the prestigious international FMI Award, which is awarded each year by the American Food Marketing Institute. Throughout 16 years as an independent Spar grocery store in Klitmøller, Mikael Konradsen has tripled the turnover and increased the number of employees from 15 to 25. Today, Klitmøller is also an important part of the city's development.

In the recent years, there has been a growth in the number of permanent residents in Klitmøller. In the same period, there has been a positive development on the tourist front. This development also places a greater demand to the shopping options, which is the main driver behind the local Spar merchant’s nearly 10 million DKK investment.

- The growth in the number of year-round residents and tourists has changed the requirements for local shopping options. We have now gained more shopping space and the store expansion helps to meet the needs of the customers, says the merchant, Mikael Konradsen, who runs the Spar store in Klitmøller.
 
ELECTRONIC SHELF LABELS AND A BETTER SHOPPING EXPERIENCE
Since 2003, Mikael Konradsen has continuously expanded the store, which also has implemented electronic shelf labels in order to make sure that the prices in the store always are updated. At the same time, new offers can be executed quickly without the need for manual work from the staff. With the most recent - and much larger investment - also follows a clear store layout with more space between the shelves and several new food concepts. All of this is something that will give the customers a better shopping experience.

- The recent years' development in Klitmøller also places new demands on special goods at the shelves. We listen to our customers and, as far as possible, we try to meet their wishes for new products, so in the end, we also try to get the new products at the shelves. The combination of this and the use of electronic shelf labels provides an even better shopping experience, says Mikael Konradsen.

The million-investment works - the radical rebuilding has resulted in incredible growth, which already can be seen on the turnover figures of the modernized Spar grocery store, which was open for shopping during the entire renovation.

- I can see great progress compared to last year, especially in areas such as fruit and vegs, meat and beer, wine and spirits. We have also worked hard to make it happen,” concludes Mikael Konradsen.

ABOUT SPAR
SPAR is one of the Dagrofa Group's local retail chains and today consists of 138 stores throughout Denmark. The SPAR stores are primarily owned and operated by independent merchants. In addition, Dagrofa also owns some SPAR stores. The SPAR merchant cherishes the local and is the meeting point in the local community. Internationally, SPAR is represented in 50 countries and comprises more than 12,000 stores.

Irma Køge has been upgraded after the store in the summer of 2018 moved to a new and better location at the new station space in the store section Strædet. In connection with the relaunch, the Irma store is lifted to a brand new and urban concept, which also includes electronic shelf labels and more time for customers.

Since 1972 Irma has been located at Nørre Boulevard in Køge. The premises were eventually quite worn down and it was time for an upgrade. After almost 50 years in the city, the possibility of completely new premises arose in connection with the opening of the new store section Strædet. The Irma store now offers a new urban concept with high-quality furnishings, more space for fruit and vegetables, as well as meat and wine. In addition, the store has received electronic shelf labels that provide more time for customers.

- We have saved a lot of time after we have introduced the electronic shelf labels, especially on Thursday, where there every single week is released a new newspaper. But that does not mean that we have reduced the staff - we just got more time for other tasks, explains Nicklas Enevoldsen, store manager at Irma Køge.
 
A WIN FOR BOTH EMPLOYEES AND CUSTOMERS
Nicklas Enevoldsen himself is from the local area and has been store manager at the former Irma store on Nørre Boulevard for 15 years. It's noticeable among the employees that the store has moved to a new and better location and at the same time has gotten new clothes, says Nicklas Enevoldsen.

- The employees appreciate the new and more modern surroundings. At the same time, they are happy that they no longer must change shelf labels every time a new price or product change comes in. Now the shelves are automatically updated with the right information and this is of course also a benefit for the customers.

Irma is conducting a comprehensive modernization of the chain, where 45 stores are switched according to the strategy 'The Urban Irma 2018-2022' so that they appear to be a food house with an Irma supermarket. This means that "street-kitchen" / deli will open instead of traditional butcher's departments - with many more ready-made food solutions of high quality. There will be specialty departments for vegetarians and vegans and there will be far more items you cannot get elsewhere. 

ABOUT IRMA
Irma is Denmark's oldest grocery chain and the second oldest supermarket in Europe. The first Irma store saw the light of day in 1886 and ever since the beginning Irma has been responsible for food joy, quality, and responsibility. Today, Irma has over 80 stores on Zealand.

The customers wanted Irma back and they got that. After two years of absence, Irma has once again opened a store in the basement of ILLUM department store in the late summer of 2018. The new Irma store offers high quality and extra good experiences with, among other things, different deli’s, take away and electronic shelf labels so the price is always updated at the shelves.

An exclusive location and a customer group of bonvivants, tourists and busy office workers, puts high expectations to the shopping experience in the Irma store, located in the basement of ILLUM. The experienced store manager, Peter Vermund, comes from Irma Axelborg, one of Irma's flagship stores. In addition, Peter Vermund has also started up the online supermarket www.irma.dk as Operations Manager.

- The shopping experience at Irma must be something special. Our customers have high expectations and we must be able to meet them - and even give them a little more. With electronic shelf labels, we save a considerable amount of time, which we can instead convert to an increased focus on the store and customer service, says Peter Vermund, Store Manager at Irma in ILLUM.
 
SOMETHING SPECIAL - A STORE WITH ALL THE BEST
All the buttons are turned on to customize the Irma store to the surroundings and the type of customers that are entering the basement of ILLUM. This means that the store offers various special departments - including a department for vegetarians and vegans. In addition, the store focuses on the customers who go into ecology and, in particular, life satisfaction and food joy.

- Basically, it is about high quality and good customer service. We can supply both the finished food solutions of high quality, new exciting goods and the classic Irma products that customers already know, says Peter Vermund.

Peter Vermund has several years of experience in using electronic shelf labels within Irma and therefore knows the importance of having the right price at the shelf.

- When the customer sees a price at the shelf, he will, of course, expect that it is the same price at checkout. We ensure this by changing the prices electronically instead of on paper, where more time is used and there is a higher risk of errors, concludes Peter Vermund.

ABOUT IRMA
Irma is Denmark's oldest grocery chain and the second oldest supermarket in Europe. The first Irma store saw the light of day in 1886 and ever since the beginning Irma has been responsible for food joy, quality and responsibility. Today, Irma has over 80 stores on Zealand.

In early 2018, the Danish DIY chain Fog installed electronic shelf labels as a pilot project in the first timber and construction center on Zealand. Now, a year has passed and there the result is more time for advice and customer service. Another benefit is the confidence that the customers now have that prices are correct. Based on the good experience, Fog will implement electronic shelf labels in the remaining stores.

At Johannes Fog you find everything for the house and the garden. Customers are greeted by staff who are ready with qualified and professional advice - something the staff now have better opportunities for after the implementation of electronic shelf labels. Previously, there was a lot of work for the staff up until new campaigns. Now, everything is instead running completely automatically and is much more efficient, explains Jimmy Thesbo, business manager at Fog in Farum and adds:

- Initially, it was about getting it established with the processes. Now a year has passed and the first thing I think is that trust has been created between the customers and the prices. The uncertainty about price errors is completely gone. What they see on the shelf is also what they see in at the check-out - it gives us great peace every day.

STRATEGY 2020: EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS AND IMPROVED CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
At Fog the staff work with a "strategy 2020" concept with both an improved customer experience and efficiency improvements on the agenda, so the business can be 100% fit. The implementation of electronic shelf labels is a natural part of this strategy, says CFO at Fog, Mads Hvelplund, and elaborates:

- In relation to the customers, it ensures that we always have the correct price at the shelf and that we have an easily readable shelf label. On the efficiency front, this means that the staff do not have to spend resources on changing the paper shelf labels, but instead can spend their time servicing our customers. Finally, electronic shelf labels allow us to quickly adjust prices if the market conditions change.

Fog implemented electronic shelf labels (ESL) as a pilot project in Farum. Based on the experience from this, Fog will implement ESL in the remaining stores.

- Based on the good experiences we have gained with ESL and the pilot project in Farum, we will, in 2019 implement the ESL solution in Hørsholm, Herlev, Værebro and Vordingborg. We expect that we, in 2020, also will implement the solution in the remaining stores so that they all - also in this area - take the lead, Mads Hvelplund concludes.

ABOUT JOHANNES FOG
Johannes Fog was founded in 1920 and today the DIY chain consists of a Housing & Design House and nine Wood & Construction Center stores throughout North Zealand - in Hørsholm, Fredensborg, Kvistgård, Helsinge, Lyngby, Ølstykke, Herlev and Farum. In addition, Johannes Fog has a store in the southern part of Zealand in Vordingborg. Johannes Fog also runs the web shop www.johannesfog.dk with more than 10,000 items online.

The consumer electronics chain Blue City is successful within purchase and sale of used electronics via nine physical stores and the web shop www.bluecity.dk. The sustainable concept helps to reduce the amount of electronic waste and electronic shelf labels help to reduce the paper consumption at the store shelves.

There is a lot of money to save by buying a used phone, tablet or computer. When you, as a customer, buy used electronics from the consumer electronics chain Blue City, you do not only save money - you also go home with a good conscience. Alongside thinking of the environment and sustainability, Blue City also thinks about efficiency. Electronic shelf labels have therefore been introduced to save both time and paper.

- On a regularly basis, we get used electronics in and out of the door, so we also have a lot of changes to the product information at the shelves. The actual pricing is done both in the store and centrally from the chain office. I think most people underestimate how much time and paper there is used to replace and make sure that the correct price and information is displayed on the shelf. Therefore, we have successfully introduced electronic shelf labels and this saves us an enormous amount of time and paper every day, says Store Manager in Blue City at Vesterbrogade in Copenhagen, Magnus Munthe-Lindeburg.

CIRCULAR ECONOMY AND AN EFFORT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
More and more Danish companies and consumers are focusing on sustainability and recycling. Many resources are used to produce new electronics. At Blue City, the environment is given a favor by working actively within the circular economy through the purchase and refurbishment of used electronics. By reusing the products, the product lifetime will be extended and the total resource consumption will be reduced.

- As a consumer at Blue City you can buy fully functional used electronics from well-known brands with full warranty at a lower sales price. We buy electronics from both private and corporate companies. After a refurbishment we put the product at the shelf, type in the price in the system, after which the electronic shelf label is automatically being updated with the correct information, says Magnus Munthe-Lindeburg.

Blue City prices the used electronics based on the product's condition, brand and age. At the same time, they keep an eye on what others are charging for similar products on the market. In this way, the chain can always offer the best possible price. It also means that a large number of price changes can be send to the stores if a central decision is made – e.g. to change all the prices on an entire brand.

- Previously, there could easily be 500 price changes printed at once. Now, the price tags are always updated and we appreciate that, Magnus Munthe-Lindeburg concludes.

ABOUT BLUE CITY
Blue City is an consumer electronics chain that buys and sells used electronics. Today, the consumer electronics chain runs nine physical stores and the online store www.bluecity.dk. Blue City acquires used electronics from both private people and corporate companies, after which the products will be sold with full guarantee at a lower price.

The largest garden and animal center chain in Denmark invests in a new and large inspiring garden center in the city Egå near Aarhus.  An extra effort is made for the customer experience with initiatives such as a coffee shop, a playground and electronic shelf labels that allows the staff to use more time on the customers and helpful advice.

Plantorama opened the first garden center in Egå near Århus back in 1987. In the same city, the chain now opens a new and large garden and animal center after having taken over an attractive location from a competing chain. A lot of effort and new exciting ideas have been put into the major rebuilding of the new garden center, which also sets new standards for quality and customer experience. When you enter the new garden center you will be greeted by experiences for all souls - from children and adults to those with green fingers, animal lovers and coffee enthusiasts.

- Our strategy is centered around our customers. This means that it must be a good experience to visit us. That is why we introduce coffee and food experiences as well as a playground for the children. With electronic shelf labels, we can improve the customer experience while increasing the efficiency in our garden center, says Heidi Paaske Christensen, project coordinator at Plantorama.
 
IT IS ABOUT DARING TO TAKE CHANCES
The new initiatives for the customer experience are a part of Plantorama's strategy, which in all its simplicity is based on putting customers and their needs on top of everything else. However, the introduction of electronic shelf labels is also an initiative that takes care of the staff so they can spend more time on their main tasks.

With the opening of the new garden center in Egå near Aarhus, Plantorama presents a new generation of the classic garden center. The new location is also a flagship store, where new and different initiatives will be tested.

- You must dare to take chances to win the customers. In our new garden center, we have looked into every area to see if we can make an extra effort for the customer experience. The electronic shelf labels are just one of those areas and they give our staff more time for the main tasks they love, says Heidi Paaske Christensen enthusiastically.

At Plantorama, they are aware of the positive impact that electronic shelf labels have on the customer experience and the satisfaction of the staff, but also the environmental considerations are something Plantorama relate positively to.

- In addition to time, we save huge amounts of paper by replacing traditional paper labels with electronic shelf labels. The fact that we as a garden center also can help to lead the way with new technology and sustainable solutions, of course also plays a major role, concludes Heidi Paaske Christensen.

ABOUT PLANTORAMA
Plantorama is Denmark's largest garden and animal center chain with everything for garden, housing and animals. Plantorama is a Danish family business with garden centers all over the country. The first garden center was founded back in 1987 in Egå near Aarhus with a range of houseplants. Today, Plantorama offers a wide range of products; garden plants and house plants, soil and fertilizer, garden pots and hides, utility and home furnishings as well as animal accessories and live animals.

In Nordhavn, one of Copenhagen's most vibrant neighborhoods, MENY has opened a new and modern food mecca that sets the standard for future supermarkets. A wide range of exclusive concepts are being tested to give customers inspiring dining experiences. Electronic shelf labels also help to raise the bar.

Quality is the characteristic for the new district in Nordhavn, where MENY has opened a new flagship store. The location of the new modern food store has a very special history, as it is opened in a protected building known as the Riffel Syndicate – a former weapon factory. Today, windows, ceilings, pillars and load-bearing walls still stand as when the premises were built to produce machine guns before and during World War II. Because of the protected building, MENY has also been forced to think differently from the very beginning.
 
EXPERIENCED MERCHANT AND AMBITIOUS STORE MANAGER IN FRONT
Mikael Lindegaard Kristiansen is the merchant in the new MENY in Nordhavn and has helped to build up the supermarket. He has more than 20 years of experience in the grocery industry from MENY in Lyngby, Salling Group and Coop. The daily operation is the store manager’s responsibility and this task belongs to Mike Drøhse Jensen, who is passionate about creating results. A tool that helps him and the approximately 60 other employees in the supermarket are electronic shelf labels, which, in addition to great time savings and reduction of customer complaints, also help to improve the look throughout the supermarket.

- The electronic shelf labels are a must for running a store today. With them, we avoid human errors that ultimately has a negative impact on customers. In addition, we've got a new and inspiring look on the electronic shelf labels in the fruit and vegetable department. The displays are bigger and the writing has a "chalk look" – this is clearly something that helps to raise the bar and customer experience in our supermarket, says Mike Drøhse Jensen, store manager at MENY in Nordhavn.

THE KEY TO THE FUTURE SUPERMARKET
In the new food market, the key to the future supermarket is based on a philosophy that employees are “meal counselors”, who give customers great food experiences and inspiration. Therefore, you will also find small exciting concepts around the supermarket – from a milk machine and juice bar to in-store coffee roasting.

- In addition to electronic shelf labels, we have implemented several initiatives that focus on the customer experience. Among other things, you can try our milk machine, which has aroused great interest from the customers. The milk is organic and pasteurized, coming directly from the cows at a local farm. Basically, we make an extra effort for good experiences and delicious groceries. This is our bid for a future supermarket.

The store has no parking spaces, but it was a deliberately choice to open in the new district in Nordhavn before a new metro, parking garage, superbike path, and other exciting city plans are realized. In this way, MENY is part of the game from the beginning, where a lot of building takes place in the local area.

ABOUT MENY
MENY is Denmark's new food market and is owned by Dagrofa together with the country's independent merchants. The chain consists of approximately 120 stores in Denmark and employs just over 5,500 employees.