Intermarché tests a new digital bulk section

Intermarché is multiplying bulk tests with major brands. A new connected system appeared a fortnight ago, with 48 codes signed Barilla, Daco Bello and Juste Bio. Tested at the Alfortville shop (94), this solution is from the Czech manufacturer Miwa. It integrates returnable containers, equipped with an RFID chip that must be paged in front of the hopper before being used.
 
This technology allows the shop to know its stock in real time and is extended on the customer side by the Miwa app. Scanning the chip on the container gives access to a wealth of information about the product purchased: the presence of allergens, recipe ideas, the name of the manufacturer, etc. In countries where it is already deployed, the solution even allows automatic payment.
 
The hoppers are like large cartridges lined with plastic film on the inside. They are rented by the brands, who fill the bags provided and deliver them to the shop. A service provider cleans the empty cartridge and undoes its plastic bag, which is then thrown away, before returning it to the supplier.
 
Intermarché is not the only distributor to test connected bulk. Franprix has teamed up with the start-up company Smart Vrac, whose intelligent hoppers make it possible to monitor filling and the corresponding price to the nearest gram.
 
Intermarché is also testing Kellogg's cereal bar and a bulk offer of Panzani starchy foods. Each time in an HL Display cabinet, with a location in the original department.