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Apr 01, 2023

Lidl GB claims UK supermarket first to trial on

Lidl GB has become the first supermarket in the UK to give customers access to

Lidl GB has become the first supermarket in the UK to give customers access to an on-shelf smart refill machine with ‘smart’ pouches for their laundry detergent.

The compact machines, designed by Chilean start-up Algramo, will be located on-shelf and take up space equivalent to 66 standard Formil single-use bottles but have the potential of filling over 245 individual pouches.

Through the machine's automated, touchscreen experience, customers can pick up the pouch, choose their detergent and follow the 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.

Algramo's technology means that the Formil pouches contain a special chip that allows the machine to distinguish between new and reused refill pouches, so the customer gets their saving of 20p after their first use.

The trial will feature in Lidl's Swadlincote, Lichfield and Kingswinford stores.

This builds on an initial six-month pilot of a larger, standing refill machine at the Kingswinford store, which resulted in positive customer feedback.

Of those who made use of the trial machine, 97% said they would recommend it to a friend or colleague, and 88% plan to use it again soon.

The technology will also help Lidl and Algramo to understand how many times each pouch is refilled and therefore how much packaging has been saved through the trial.

The benefits of Lidl's refill solution include:

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."