By the end of next year, all 530 branches must be equipped with deposit stations; food discounter Hofer has already checked 250. “We are on schedule, even slightly ahead of schedule,” says boss Horst Leitner, revealing: Hofer has paid even more to provide the best possible comfort.
Gablonzerstrasse 11 in Kremsmünster: Less than a ten-minute drive from Hofer’s headquarters in Sattledt is one of the discounter’s markets, which already has the deposit stations with which the grocer is now gradually equipping all of its 530 branches in Austria.
From 2024, part of the beverage range in supermarkets must be reusable, and from 2025 there will also be a one-time deposit for beverage cans and plastic bottles.
The machines that Hofer is installing can already shred disposable products, but the function will not be activated until 2025. The company spends around 130 million euros on innovation.
“The best solution”
“We could have done this much cheaper, but we are driven by the idea that it must be convenient for the customer and really be the best solution,” says Managing Director Horst Leitner. He is enthusiastic about the high-tech solution that was chosen after an intensive test phase on the market in Wels: “We enable the customer to return the products immediately before shopping.”
The discounter has already equipped approximately 250 stores with deposit stations. “Wherever the machines are set up and installed, we now also offer reusable machines,” says Leitner.
“Shopping behavior has not suddenly changed”
How is the new reusable offering for Hofer customers received? “Shopping behavior has not suddenly changed. At the moment, the quantities overall are still very small.”
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
