PENNY Gives Clear Signal to Improve Protection of Minors

Cologne, 03.11.08

Security system at cash registers supports age verification

PENNY is to increase its efforts to protect minors in Germany beyond what the law requires: Starting immediately, a security system at the cash registers at over 2,000 PENNY stores will help the employees throughout Germany when they need to verify a customer's age to sell alcohol and tobacco products.

This is PENNY's reply to the worrying trend in alcohol and tobacco consumption amongst Germany's youth. In doing so, the company that is part of Cologne-based REWE Group will carry out its responsibility to protect minors even more effectively.

The security system will particularly impede the sale of alcohol and tobacco products to minors. The sale of such products flashes a notice on the cash displays. The store employees will be additionally notified in this fashion of the need to check the customer's age. The task of ringing up purchases can only be resumed once the employee presses the release button.

When in doubt, the store worker will require the customer to produce proper identification. After all, anyone who wants to buy a bottle of vodka or a pack of cigarettes must be at least 18 years of age.

With a turnover of more than 8.4 billion euros, PENNY is one of the leading discounters in Europe. The store base in Germany, Austria, Italy, Romania, the Czech Republic and Hungary comprises around 2,950 outlets with a total of 33,300 employees. In Germany, about 21,000 employees working in more than 2,000 stores generate a turnover of around 6 billion euros.

Contact

REWE GROUP-Corporate Communications
Tel.: 0221 - 149-1050
E-Mail: presse(at)rewe-group.com

Contact