Taking up the space of 66 Formil bottles, the machine has the potential to fill over 245 individual Formil pouches after just one replenishment
New ‘smart’ pouches also use a third less plastic whilst maintaining the same capacity of standard Formil bottles. (Credit: Lidl GB)
Lidl GB has become the first supermarket in the UK to give customers access to an on-shelf smart refill machine with ‘smart’ pouches for their laundry detergent.
The compact machines will be located on-shelf in the store’s laundry detergent section. They will take up space equivalent to 66 standard Formil single-use bottles but have the potential of filling over 245 individual pouches, increasing capacity by nearly 300%.
Through the machine’s automated, touchscreen experience, customers can simply pick up the pouch, choose their favourite detergent and follow the simple on-screen instructions. Innovative ‘closed-fill’ technology incorporated into the pouch cap allows customers to fill up with the cap still on, enabling faster filling while eliminating the chance of mess and spills.
Algramo’s smart technology means that the Formil pouches contain a special chip that allows the machine to distinguish between new and reused refill pouches, so the customer gets their saving of 20p after their first use. The technology will also help Lidl and Algramo to understand how many times each pouch is refilled and therefore how much packaging has been saved through the trial.
This innovation is designed to meet Lidl’s commitment to being big on quality, Lidl on price. It saves customers money, helps to reduce single use plastic and makes life simpler for the whole supply chain, from customers and colleagues, through to suppliers. The benefits of Lidl’s refill solution include:
Cost: Refills offer customers the cheapest wash, saving 20p per refill when compared to the equivalent single use product.
Sustainability: Using Lidl’s ‘smart’ refill pouches saves 59g of plastic per refill, the weight of an equivalent single use bottle, and minimises CO2 and water usage.
Efficiency: For customers, the trial is Lidl’s fastest-ever refill solution. For suppliers and colleagues in store, the small size of the machine optimises shelf space and and the detergent transported in bulk packaging makes logistics more efficient.
Mark Newbold, CSR Manager at Lidl GB said: “We are incredibly proud of this latest innovation, which will enable our customers to save money and reduce their plastic consumption. We were the first UK supermarket to introduce smart laundry detergent refill stations and now we’re the first to introduce this next generation design.
“It’s our strong belief that good quality and value should go together. We are committed to providing our customers with cost saving solutions that can help their wallets and the planet.”
The trial will feature in Lidl’s Swadlincote, Lichfield and Kingswinford stores. This builds on an initial 6-month pilot of a larger, standing refill machine at the Kingswinford store, which resulted in extremely positive customer feedback. Of those who made use of the trial machine, 97 per cent said they would recommend it to a friend or colleague, and 88 per cent plan to use it again soon.
Source: Company Press Release