Supermarket of the future

Singapore

HOW will supermarkets in Singapore look in the next five years? The newly revamped Cold Storage @ Fusionopolis may shed some light.

Located at one-north, the 18,000 sq ft store is the first-of-its-kind retail concept that epitomises the innovation hub it is in.

Believed to be the first fully self-checkout store in Singapore, the outlet is equipped with unified payment terminals, cash management systems and mobile payment integration.

Shoppers pay for their purchases using their Mobile Wallet or QR code payment via Nets. Cashless payment reduces queueing time.

Another new high-tech feature is the camera weighing scale, which has visual recognition capabilities. A high-resolution camera is used to recognise products, making weighing and price-tagging easier.

The store will soon launch its Product Finder and Geo-Targeting features. The app-based Product Finder allows shoppers to easily locate groceries on their phones. Meanwhile, with Geo-Targeting, proximity-based personalised store promotions will be sent directly to shoppers on their mobile phones.

Besides being technology-driven, Cold Storage @ Fusionopolis will introduce other new features:

The CREATE Salad Bar offers a gourmet selection of locally produced ingredients to create personalised salad bowls. This a notch up from existing salad bars in other Cold Storage outlets.

There will also be more ready-to-eat food choices, including deli platters, Japanese bento meals and artisanal sandwiches. Dining in the store is now possible, at tables that come with power sockets, USB points and wireless phone chargers.

Besides picking up a bottle of wine, shoppers can head to the Wine Tasting Bar, where a sommelier can offer wine by the glass, or host masterclasses and tasting events.

Another first are two function rooms. These come with amenities such as a TV projector, and free Internet and Wi-Fi access which shoppers can book as an alternative to an office meeting room.

Cold Storage Singapore's managing director David Goh said: "More than just a supermarket and custom-tailored to the growing needs of visionaries of their respective industries in Fusionopolis, the store leads the way in presenting other grocers with a glimpse into the future of retail in Singapore."

The new store is a test bed to try out this new experiential concept to engage shoppers and also put new retail technology into practice, he said.

"At the same time, we want to allow for failure so that colleagues are able to discuss, face up to the challenges and make recovery."

Mr Goh said there are plans to share concepts and technology from this store with other outlets. However, the type of technology and concept rolled out from Cold Storage @ Fusionopolis must be community appropriate.

"We have to examine the community that each of the stores are in first before doing so," he said.

The revamped Cold Storage @ Fusionopolis is part of the Fusionopolis One Retail Podium reopening after a year of upgrading works.

Managed by JTC, the Retail Podium, which serves 50,000 people in the one-north district will see technological solutions and the arts coming together for a new type of retail experience.