Store Fixtures Focus on Flexibility and Mobility
Enhancing the Customer Experience
According to Streitberger, Schweitzer’s flexible counters can offer a new and improved shopping experience for customers, and can help grocers introduce different modes of selling and employee interaction. Central Food Hall Ladprao, in Bangkok, for example, uses the cases in some areas to create a marketplace-like ambiance where employees stand in front of the counter to assist customers.
Conversely, when there are labor shortages, self-contained counters can easily be switched from served to self-service to eliminate the need for additional employee support.
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Most important, Streitberger notes, is the ability for these fixtures to transform visual merchandising into an avenue for creative storytelling. “Fixtures can deliver the most important information to consumers through clever communication and contribute to an emotional, warm atmosphere,” he explains.
Fixtures in Action
At Kahala Market by Foodland, in Honolulu, Schweitzer integrated two fresh islands, one with fresh poké and seafood products, and one with charcuterie and cheese. Both islands are plug-in and flexible, and the installation was done by simply connecting the islands’ water and power supplies via artificial columns. The grocer was able to avoid heavy construction work, and the whole remodel was completed in just two-and-a-half weeks.
For German supermarket company Edeka’s new Hieber’s Frischecenter, in the town of Bad Krozingen, Schweitzer was tasked with emphasizing the grocer’s extensive fresh produce offering both in design and graphic communication.
The flexibility and modularity of Schweitzer’s refrigerated counters help to guarantee an unrestricted shopping experience with a range of products, and depending on customer flow, the displays can be quickly and flexibly changed from service to self-service. Additionally, fresh products are presented vertically, as in the form of a cheese tower, to give space and visibility to the large assortment.