Lidl installs refill station at Staffordshire store and promises it will save customers money
A Lidl store in Staffordshire is becoming one of the first to include a new feature aimed to help customers save money and reduce the amount of plastic they use.
An on-shelf 'smart' refill station for laundry detergents has been installed at the branch in Eastern Avenue, Lichfield, along with another store in Derbyshire.
The machines can fill more than 245 pouches which customers can pick up at the refill station before bringing them back to be topped up when required. However, only the pouches work in the machines and customers cannot bring their own bottles or pouches to fill up.
The installation of the machine follows a successful pilot of a larger refill machine at Kingswinford earlier this year.
Lidl claims that customers will save 20p per refill when they use their pouch compared to buying a bottled product. Bosses also claim 59g of plastic will also be saved per refill with the pouches also using one-third less plastic compared to standard bottles.
Explaining the system, a spokesperson said: "Through the machine’s automated, touchscreen experience, customers can simply pick up the pouch, choose their favourite detergent and follow the simple on-screen instructions.
"Innovative ‘closed-fill’ technology incorporated into the pouch cap allows customers to fill up with the cap still on, enabling faster filling while eliminating the chance of mess and spills."
Lidl also says the pouches contain a chip that allows the refill station to tell the difference between new and reused refill pouches. It can also work out how many times each pouch is refilled and therefore how much packaging has been saved.
Mark Newbold, CSR Manager at Lidl GB said: “We are incredibly proud of this latest innovation, which will enable our customers to save money and reduce their plastic consumption. We were the first UK supermarket to introduce smart laundry detergent refill stations and now we’re the first to introduce this next generation design.
“It’s our strong belief that good quality and value should go together. We are committed to providing our customers with cost saving solutions that can help their wallets and the planet.”
Lidl says the machines, designed by Chilean sustainability start-up Algramo, will be located in the store’s laundry detergent section.
The installation in the Lichfield store comes after a six-month pilot at the branch in Stalling's Lane, Kingwinford.
Lidl said the trial resulted in "extremely positive" feedback, saying 97 per cent of users would recommend it to others and 88 per cent planed to use it again.
Customers have also been instructed on how to use the refill station:
Pick up a refill pouch in store and keep the cap on.
Select the preferred laundry detergent.
Slide the refill pouch into the refill machine until it clicks. The machine will automatically recognise your Formil refill pouch. Customers cannot use their own bottle or pouch.
Once the refill process is complete, collect the ticket printed with the barcode.
The first visit will pay for a refill pouch and laundry detergent at the till with your ticket.
Next time, use the laundry detergent and bring back the empty pouch, following the same process of sliding it into the machine.
