📋 Tender Overview
Minister of Local Government and District Affairs Erling Sande pulled the trigger when Feiosbui AS/Nærbutikken Feios in Vik i Sogn opened its digital store with self-checkout and remote payment. With this, 100 stores have opened their digital doors after receiving support from the Merkur program in recent years.
These 100 stores play a very important role in small local communities all over Norway. In the districts we are now seeing a number of new measures and technologies that improve the shopping experience. This helps to modernize the stores and make them more financially sustainable, while meeting the needs of customers in a better way, says Minister of Local Government and District Affairs Erling Sande.
The goal for Merkur is to ensure that residents in the districts have access to a nearby grocery store with good quality and additional services that increase sales, ensure continued operations and provide residents in the local community with better services.
Hegna Landhandel in Seljord in Telemark was the first store to receive support from the Merkur program for this type of digital operation in 2018. In 2019, a pilot project was started in which eight more stores were to test out technology that makes it possible to have a 24-hour store. The pilot project yielded positive results, with satisfied customers, increased turnover and a better working day for the store operators as a result.
Since 2020, support for such technology has been one of the priority areas for the allocation of investment support from the Merkur program.
Provides better turnover
Department Director Steinar Fredheim at the District Center is responsible for the Merkur program, and has now followed 100 stores on the digital journey.
At first, many were skeptical, he says. -Would the employees and the social meeting place disappear? Would the customers be comfortable helping themselves? All prejudices have been put to shame. It quickly became clear that the customers were happy, that the employees had more time for both customers and all their other tasks, and that the investments were profitable. Most stores that have made this move have seen significantly better sales.
Shop for everyone
Feiosbui is a small shop that has undergone an extensive turnaround. Midlang tells of a passionate commitment in the village for the shop. The shop receives volunteer help with goods receipt and much more. To get the shop ready for the equipment needed for digitalization, many volunteer hours have been spent. Feios Village Association is the main shareholder, and a good partner.
Monica Feidje Midlang is the CEO of Feiosbui and looks forward to providing its customers with a better offering and becoming a more attractive workplace.
This is the future, and we see that the others who have done it are the most successful. We are also a typical village where people commute, so it can be difficult for people to shop when the store closes at five.
