J. SAINSBURY IS PLANNING 13-STORE TEST OF INTERACTIVE KIOSKS

JAMES FALLON

LONDON (FNS) -- J. Sainsbury plc here will begin testing interactive kiosks this month when it installs the system in the first of 13 stores.

The first system will be installed in Sainsbury's Alperton, England, store. "The retailer will roll the kiosks out to nine more Sainsbury supermarkets and three of its Savacentre hypermarkets over two weeks following the initial store installation," said Mike Connolly, director of customer relations for Sainsbury.

Each store will have a minimum of three kiosks. A decision whether to install the kiosks in Sainsbury's remaining 331 stores will be made this fall.

By swiping a frequent-shopper card through the unit's scanner, the kiosks will enable customers to access electronic discounts by touching on-screen images of the offered products.

For each product selected, a bar-coded coupon is printed out for the customer to present at the checkout. Each customer typically will see 34 products on offer with an average value of $1.25 (75 pence) off each.

A Sainsbury spokesman said the retailer was looking at ways to better communicate with its customers. Sources said more than 1,000 kiosks would be installed in Sainsbury stores if the three-month trial is successful.

The kiosks are provided by Inter-Act Systems Europe, Hemel Hempstead, England.

Customers will be able to get recipes and register their interest in Sainsbury services such as their club for young mothers and their pet club. The units could eventually link to the retailer's bank, which provides a range of financial services.