Kaufland is experimenting with a smaller store format in Czechia: in Veselí nad Lužnicí, near the Austrian border, the retailer has opened a test store measuring ‘just’ 2,245 sqm — half the preferred size for the formula.
Full Kaufland experience
Despite this reduced size, country manager Sven Reinhard emphasises that customers will not have to compromise on range or experience. Even in the smaller format, Kaufland offers a range of more than 13,000 items, including staffed counters with regional specialities, Lebensmittel Zeitung reports. In addition, there is room for non-food promotions, such as a compact Parkside presentation.
With this compact concept, Kaufland is responding to changing consumer behaviour. “Customers want to shop faster and more efficiently, without having to travel long distances”, Reinhard explains. The smaller format should allow Kaufland to also serve locations where a traditional size is less suitable — such as Veselí nad Lužnicí, with its barely 6,500 inhabitants.
Future-oriented
The smaller store also requires fewer staff: the branch near the Austrian border has sixty employees. The chain has invested in self-scanning and self-service checkouts. The branch wants to be future-oriented: there are charging points for electric cars, but remarkably few parking spaces for a Kaufland store (173).
A broader switch to smaller stores is not on the agenda for the time being, says Kaufland owner Schwarz Gruppe. An expansion to Germany is also not planned.
