Delhaize makes stores smarter with superfast internet

Intelligent shelves, connected refrigerators and a lower energy consumption: Belgian supermarket chain Delhaize is investing in a fibre-optic connection to drive its digital transformation towards ‘real-time retail’.

Shopping experience and price advantage

Various high-tech gadgets will soon make shopping more efficient, pleasant, sustainable and economical, Delhaize promises. Examples are smart shelves that signal which products need to be replenished, personalised offers during shopping, or connected refrigeration units to better manage energy consumption. The bread ovens, the solar panels on the stores and the charging stations in the car parks will also be connected: less energy wastage means lower costs and, in the long run, a price advantage for the customer.

Indeed, Delhaize will soon be the first retailer in Belgium to have a 40 gigabit fibre-optic Eurofiber connection connecting the stores, distribution centres and campuses. This connection opens the doors to ‘real-time retail’ and an even better shopping experience, the retailer believes. In time, the Ahold Delhaize subsidiary will no longer host its own data centres, but will move its data to the cloud. With this cooperation, Delhaize also wants to profile itself as future-oriented and innovative in the war for talent: after all, the company is not the only one looking for talented IT professionals.