Switzerland’s market-leading retailer, Migros, selects ZBD’s epaper solution
2 March 2010

Migros, Switzlerland’s leading retailer, has selected ZBD’s epaper solution as part of a major pilot project that will see the company move away from price-marked products in favour of shelf edge labelling. As Switzerland’s largest supermarket retailer, Migros sells almost a quarter of the country’s food through an estate of more than 700 stores and ZBD’s epaper displays have been implemented within 6 stores initially to test customer reaction.   The retailer operates a co-operative business model and employs almost 80,000 people within its network of supermarkets and special stores. In March 2009, Migros publicly announced its decision to move away from price-marked goods to shelf edge labelling, giving the project a two-year timeframe. Migros is the only major retailer in Europe to still print pricing directly onto individual products. Factors that influenced their decision to move towards shelf edge labelling included ensuring compliance between price at the shelf edge and point of sale; in addition to savings achieved as a result of eliminating the need to destroy product packaging when pricing changes. Migros is due to make its final decision on electronic shelf label (ESL) adoption in May 2010, with widescale deployment of the chosen solution expected from mid-2010 onwards. Migros plans to introduce a paper shelf labelling system in parallel with the electronic system, and will assess the costs and benefits of ESL technology compared to paper.

Commenting on the decision to pilot ZBD’s electronic shelf labels, Aurelius Wespi, Migros’ Project Leader said, “It is time for us to change our current system in favour of shelf edge labelling, and this project is key to the future success of our business. We chose ZBD’s solution, amongst others, because of its zero infrastructure requirements and its visually appealing displays.”

Simon Jones, Business Development Director, Europe at ZBD said, “We are working closely with Migros to develop a comprehensive and accurate return on investment calculation for our electronic shelf labelling solution and are confident that a sound business case will be defined.”

Formed in 2000 out of QinetiQ, ZBD is a pioneering company with its own R & D, full IPR and scalable manufacturing processes that enable it to deliver an epaper solution with practical commercial advantages for retailers.

ZBD is a leader in the design and supply of electronic shelf labels (ESL) and associated software solutions for the retail industry. The company has developed the next generation of LCD, creating high-contrast bistability that requires no battery power to retain its image. Its range of epaper displays provides retailers with a total store solution and the ability to manage and update pricing, product and promotional information at point of purchase, dynamically.

For further information on ZBD, visit www.zbdsolutions.com.