Many rural areas have hardly any local convenience stores left. This is also the case in Pettstadt in the district of Bamberg, which has around 2,000 inhabitants. Josefs nahkauf Box offers a solution to this: the first grab&go convenience store, providing food and other everyday items at almost any time of the day or night. With the pilot, REWE hopes to find a modern solution to the problem of the local supply of food and provisions to people living in rural areas.
(v.l.) Günther Schmid, Sales Manager Nahkauf Region South; Irina Brandt, Project Manager Nahkauf; Jochen Hack, First Mayor of Pettstadt; Thomas Arnold, Business Consultant Region South; Michaela Kaiser, Local Councillor of Pettstadt; Merchant Josef Sier, Landlady Carina Krapp, Florian Sörensen, Sales Manager Nahkauf National.
Much excitement surrounding convenience store: in the Upper Franconian community of Pettstadt near Bamberg, REWE is piloting a new format under the name Josefs nahkauf Box, which aims to ensure a supply of fresh food and everyday products to the community of 2,000. The response to the opening was tremendous, with residents of the small town equally as excited by the new store as the nahkauf retailers and representatives from local councils and government. Many took the opportunity to make a spontaneous test purchase immediately after the opening.
The easily accessible ‘box’, affectionately christened Bobby by its creators, is a grab&go store. Within a retail space of just 39 m2, customers can shop around the clock from Monday to Saturday. They can select from around 700 food and convenience items, from apples to toothbrushes. Payment is cashless by debit or credit card at a self-checkout.
The plastic card also gives customers access to the store. They can then move freely around the store and select their purchases at their leisure. The assortment ranges from fresh fruit and vegetables, dairy and frozen products to dry goods, non-alcoholic beverages, toothbrushes, and cigarette vending machines. A focus was placed on REWE’s own brands, organic products in all product categories as well as regional and local suppliers. It also offers trendy items, such as vegan products. However, consumers will not find any beers, wines, or spirits.
Customers use their debit (EC) or credit card to pay for their purchases. Each item must be scanned independently at a self-checkout. Customers can then leave the mini store with their purchase.
The practical nahkauf box is operated by retailers Josef Sier and Thomas Scheuring, who together run a nahkauf supermarket in the small town of Walsdorf, 14 kilometres away. The two take care of replenishment, maintenance, and upkeep.
Convenience stores contribute to a community’s attractiveness. With the new nahkauf concept, an important piece of the puzzle has been put into place for Pettstadt, and is an important step in our further development. I am delighted that the community is once again able to replenish their supplies in the local area at any time of the day,
says Jochen Hack, Pettstadt’s first mayor.
