Thornton’s Budgens tackle plastic-free produce thanks to HL Display HL POS Centre

The reduction of food and plastic waste continues to be a heavy focus for supermarkets and retailers across the UK.

One community-driven store in North London aims to help enable their shoppers to lead more sustainable lives.

In 2018, Thornton Budges became one of the first shops in the world to introduce plastic-free zones, offering customers over 1,700 products in plastic-free packaging.  

The packaging of items, which included bread, cheese and chilled products, were sold in alternative materials to coincide with their aim to become ‘virtually plastic-free’ within three years.  

Thornton’s Budgens is a business that has always put sustainability at the forefront of its brand purpose. They continue to tackle the reduction of food and plastic waste, and the next stages have seen the Camden Belsize Park store turn to HL Display to provide an alternative solution to their fresh produce display. 

The aim was to utilise a new shelving solution within the produce department which would enable them to display fruit and vegetables loose, without packaging and without reducing the shelf life of the products.

The Solution

SigmaTM showcases abundant-looking produce without the need for a large inventory. Made of anodised silver, the SigmaTM merchandising system for fresh allows for more significant recirculation of cool air, keeping products at the optimum temperate for maximum shelf life.

Sigma’s performance in this Thornton’s Budgens store has certainly outweighed their expectations. Feedback from customers has been mostly positive with sales in fresh produce up, and importantly waste reduced.

Talking about the success of SigmaTM, Kate Agvarska, Facilities and Operations Manager at Thornton’s Budgens said: “Customer like the new presentation of the produce very much. The display looks fresher, and the smaller displays maintain the look for longer.

"At the same time, from our point of view as a retailer, smaller displays help with stock control, and it has reduced our wastage.

"We also have seen an uplift of sales by 9% during the first month of installation. It is easier to keep the produce clean & tidy."

Reduce Food Waste with Sigma from HL Display

 

 

Case study