Lidl to make change in 980 stores for all shoppers at checkout

Discount supermarket Lidl is set to introduce scan and shop devices in a move designed to speed up the checkout process for customers. The retailer has submitted a trademark application across Europe and the UK for "Lidl & Go" covering digital payment technology. This encompasses customer-operated electronic terminals, The Grocer reported . Lidlm which has 980 stores in the UK, revealed the new functionality would carry the "Lidl Pay" branding and would be incorporated into the chain's loyalty programme app – Lidl Plus. The technology operates as a digital wallet and mobile payment platform embedded within the Lidl Plus application. The budget chain explained this would allow customers to complete secure, contactless transactions at their neighbourhood Lidl outlet using only their mobile device. Shyam Unarket, Customer Relations Director at Lidl GB, said: "The integration of payment functionality into the Lidl Plus app represents a step forward in our digital evolution." "We are committed to investing in technologies that simplify the customer journey and offer greater flexibility in how people shop with us. "Whether customers prefer using traditional tills or self-checkouts , we want to ensure that every shopper can choose the experience that best suits them." Lidl is set to launch specialised handheld scanners alongside the enhanced Lidl Plus app capability. This would offer customers the ease of scanning items without needing to rely on their personal phones. Lidl last month r evealed a three-fold surge in profits as more shoppers switched from its supermarket rivals amid the rising cost of living. It came as bosses at the German discount chain said they plan to keep opening more stores as it pushes ahead with ambitious expansion plans across the UK. Lidl GB revealed that sales jumped by 7.9% to £11.7 billion for the year to February 28, compared with a year earlier. It said the increase in sales and significant store investment helped pre-tax profits more than triple to £156.8 million from £43.6 million a year earlier. The company was the UK’s fastest growing supermarket chain over the year as it benefited from stronger customer demand and new shops. It is currently the UK’s sixth-largest grocery chain, according to experts at Worldpanel, after taking a record share of the sector in recent months. Lidl is expected to overtake rival Morrisons, which is currently in fifth place, in the coming months if its current momentum continues. The retailer said it was buoyed by 38 million more visits from customers over the year, as many shoppers switched from supermarket rivals. Ryan McDonnell, Lidl GB chief executive,said it saw shoppers move to Lidl from a range of its competitors. “Our gains from customers switching supermarkets are balanced across all our competitors,” he said. “We have been focused on delivering low prices and high quality, and that has been really well received by shoppers.” Lidl has also welcomed more shoppers on the back of opening new stores, with the retailer expecting to have opened around 40 shops by the end of this year. It said it is on track to surpass 1,000 stores as a result and hopes to keep opening new locations at a similar pace. Mr McDonnell told PA: “The run rate of around 40 a year is what we have also done in some previous years. “I’m confident that we can keep opening stores at somewhere around that level again because there are hundreds of opportunities for us to open shops across the country.”