Tesco has implemented a significant change in 50 of its stores in an attempt to combat shoplifting.
The supermarket giant has installed keypad-operated cabinets in the alcohol aisles of an additional 50 stores, specifically for champagne and other sparkling wines.
These in-aisle cabinets are locked and can be accessed by customers via a keypad. An alarm will sound if the chiller door is left open for more than seven seconds.
Managed by Wanzl, these cabinets were initially trialled in some stores in 2023 before being expanded to more locations last summer. Currently, 22 Tesco stores, including two smaller Express outlets, have these cabinets, the Mirror reports.
Last year’s models required shoppers to navigate a digital touchscreen and complete a “four-step process” to gain access. Initially, customers had to tap an arrow on the screen, followed by a “processing request” message before the cabinet door would open.
The newly introduced cabinets are an updated version designed to reduce friction for customers.
According to Wanzl, the new cabinets introduce a “really friendly” customer interface, which “doesn’t stand in the way of someone getting what they want to get”.
Speaking to The Grocer Magazine, Wanzl UK’s head of retail shop solutions, Lee Gilks, commented: “High value alcohol in stores has always been a challenge. You have to strike the balance between selling things and locking things away. To fix shrinkage you could just put a massive lock on it, but that becomes a bit of a sales turn off.”
Wanzl is planning to add more features to these cabinets, such as digital header screens, weighted shelves, and cameras to monitor shopper demographics and product choices.
The company asserts that their system has “significantly reduced theft incidents”. According to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), thefts cost retailers approximately £1.8 billion in 2022-23, a steep rise from £953 million the previous year and the highest figure ever recorded, surpassing £1 billion for the first time.
Amidst concerns raised on social media about privacy, Tesco clarified that the cabinets do not use facial recognition or photograph customers after social media users labelled the move as “tyrannical”.
Tesco has not provided any comments on the latest expansion of these security measures as reported by The Grocer.
Nicola Valentino, Wanzl UK grocery key account manager, stated: “The products that are locked up are high value, they’re nice products. We wanted it to look like a fancy chiller so people are drawn to it. We wanted to get that balance of let’s draw the paying consumer in, don’t make it an irritant, but also create that bit of paranoia for would-be thieves.”
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