Sainsbury’s unveils its ‘Next Level’ strategy, showcasing innovative changes in customer shopping experience at its Cobham lab store.
- The Cobham store trials over 100 experiments to identify potential implementations for wider rollouts.
- Increased space allocated for food items, enhancing the variety of fresh produce and frozen goods.
- New store layouts are designed to simplify product accessibility and improve shopping convenience.
- Technological advancements, such as hybrid checkouts, aim to offer customers more payment choices.
Earlier this year, Sainsbury’s CEO Simon Roberts announced the supermarket’s ambitious ‘Next Level’ strategy. This initiative aims to position Sainsbury’s as the primary choice for food shopping among UK customers. The strategy involves significant changes in the way stores operate, as exemplified by the innovative Cobham lab store.
The Cobham store acts as a test ground, where over 100 different experiments are being trialled, providing insights into future store designs. Emphasising food variety, the store has dedicated additional space for fresh produce and frozen items. The store layout reflects a fresh approach, offering more fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, and poultry.
Product presentation has been another focal point, ensuring ease of access for customers. For instance, complementary frozen and chilled products, such as desserts and fish, are conveniently located side by side. Roberts highlights, “If you think like a customer, rather than how we run a supermarket for 25 years, it causes you to lay things out differently.“
The store has introduced a unique ‘fish counter on a wall’ concept. This offers an extensive range of fish species with cost-efficiency and a broader selection accessible to customers, promoting rapid growth in this category.
Dedicated ‘Free From’ areas are rapidly being implemented, grouping all such products collectively. Although this may seem an obvious change, Roberts states it is a significant shift in supermarket strategy.
The Cobham store enhances its beer, wine, and spirits section, offering the complete range within an open, bright space monitored by staff to reduce theft and increase sales. Technological advancements include smart shelves, which trigger alerts if multiple items are taken at once.
Sainsbury’s is also testing new checkout solutions to streamline purchasing processes, particularly for larger trolleys. The hybrid checkout option, which combines self-service with traditional check-out procedures, provides customers with greater choice.
Additional customer-centric innovations, such as touch-screen stations, aid in product location and offer recipe ideas. Furthermore, the Cobham store trials improved clothing presentations, aligning fashion with customer demands for style and value.
Within its broader strategy, Sainsbury’s aims to cut £2.5 billion in costs over a decade, funding competitive pricing and improved employee wages, which are further explored through efficiency experiments in the Cobham store.
The Cobham store is central to Sainsbury’s future strategies, focusing on customer-centric innovations and efficiency.