RETAILERS PARTICIPATE IN ESL PILOT EVALUATION

DEENA AMATO-McCOY

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- Big Y Foods here and the New England division of A&P, Montvale, N.J., are among six retailers in Massachusetts participating in a yearlong evaluation of electronic shelf labels, beginning this week.

One A&P Super Foodmart store is expected to go live with ESLs today, while Big Y's new Amherst, Mass., store will sport the electronic labels at its opening in September.

"The purpose behind the test is to show customers that this technology can help us provide them with superior service," said Eric Dorne, director of store automation and productivity for the New England Group of A&P/Super Foodmart. "ESLs provide us with the increased ability to ensure price accuracy, which is a critical element of stellar service."

The test will be conducted in seven supermarkets for one year. Participating retailers will install ESLs on a limited number of items in lieu of item marking individual product. The ESLs being used for the evaluation are provided by Electronic Retailing Systems, Wilton, Conn., and Telepanel Systems, Markham, Ontario.

In addition to A&P and Big Y, Shaw's Supermarkets, East Bridgewater, Mass., Roche Bros., Wellesley Hills, Mass, and Park and Shop, Webster, Mass., and two Stop & Shop Supermarkets, Quincy, Mass., will install ESLs by September.

"We feel this is really the way for the industry to go in the future for price integrity, especially based on feedback from customers frequenting our Connecticut stores," said Dave Brunelle, vice president of operations for Big Y.

The state of Connecticut ran a similar pilot in 1992, in order to educate customers and get them comfortable with ESL technology. The test in Massachusetts, however, is on a smaller scale.

"This evaluation is being given a lot of support by the Massachusetts Food Association, retailers, and the State Division Of Standards, [Boston]," he said. "There will be an educational program at store level to entice awareness and interest in the technology. This is truly an investment in the integrity of ESLs, with the goal of receiving the acceptance of Massachusetts consumers. This is the first step."

For the test, retailers will be able to use ESLs both on non-item priced products such as milk, eggs, candy, baby food and cigarettes, "as well as an additional 400 items that do not need to be item marked with the use of the electronic labels, said Chris Flynn, president of the Massachusetts Food Association, Boston.

"We expect the test to prove that retailers will provide more accurate prices on items tagged with the units and consumers will see the credibility of the technology," he said. "If the test is successful within the seven stores, we will have a better case" to push the technology forward on a statewide basis.