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LONDON, England (Daily Mail), August 29, 2008:
By Paul Sims
The slow-tempo music fills the air as customers edge their way across the nonslip floor towards the extra-wide aisles.
The shop’s overhead lighting is brighter, the shelves fitted with steps and there’s even the chance of a relaxing massage to ease away any trolley rage.
This is the Seniors Supermarket – a European success story set to revolutionise the way silver shoppers buy their groceries.
Pensioner friendly: Tesco is looking at a different
kind of supermarket to cater for older shoppers
Tesco – which hopes to open the country’s first pensioner-friendly store – yesterday sent a group of over-65s to visit the Kaiser supermarket in Berlin, one of the first of its kind in Germany.
They will report back to Tesco bosses before a decision is taken on the proposed 60,000sq ft store in Newcastle, on the site of the city’s General Hospital – next door to
Newcastle University’s Institute for Ageing and Health.
Fact-finding mission: Tesco sent a group of pensioners
to Germany to check out a branch of Kaiser's supermarket
designed for old people.
Professor Jim Edwardson, 67, founder of the Institute, who was among those who travelled to Germany, said: ‘Almost everything about supermarket shopping in the UK is wrong for elderly customers, from shelving that is too high to reach or too low to get to.
Tesco hopes to build a new store in Newcastle that caters specifically to elderly shoppers.
‘The Kaiser store was the first of its kind in Germany and is so impressive. The trolleys on their own are lighter and easier to move.
The signs are very clear, there are magnifying glasses on shelves and trolleys, the lighting is better and the staff friendlier.
‘It’s clear they’re doing everything they can to attract the elderly and it’s been a commercial success since it opened two years ago.
'With a growing elderly population this has to be the future for supermarkets.
'We have to adapt to the fact we are living in a society with more elderly people.
‘We’re never going to go back to where there is a higher proportion of young people and adults.’
Figures published by the Office for National Statistics last week showed the UK now has more pensioners than children under 16.
In 20 years’ time, half the population of Europe will be aged over 50.
Since the Kaiser store opened in 2005, sales have increased by 25 per cent above forecast figures, with more than 60 per cent of its customers aged over 50.
Michael Kissman, a spokesman for Tesco, said plans for the store were still at an early stage.
A spokesman for the charity Help the Aged said: ‘Finally, supermarkets are waking up to the fact that pensioners are a huge customer base and pandering to their needs will cost little and lead to large rewards.
© 2008 Associated Newspapers Ltd
Pensioner friendly: Tesco is looking at a different
kind of supermarket to cater for older shoppers
Tesco – which hopes to open the country’s first pensioner-friendly store – yesterday sent a group of over-65s to visit the Kaiser supermarket in Berlin, one of the first of its kind in Germany.
They will report back to Tesco bosses before a decision is taken on the proposed 60,000sq ft store in Newcastle, on the site of the city’s General Hospital – next door to Newcastle University’s Institute for Ageing and Health.
Fact-finding mission: Tesco sent a group of pensioners
to Germany to check out a branch of Kaiser's supermarket
designed for old people.
Professor Jim Edwardson, 67, founder of the Institute, who was among those who travelled to Germany, said: ‘Almost everything about supermarket shopping in the UK is wrong for elderly customers, from shelving that is too high to reach or too low to get to.
Tesco hopes to build a new store in Newcastle that caters specifically to elderly shoppers.
‘The Kaiser store was the first of its kind in Germany and is so impressive. The trolleys on their own are lighter and easier to move.
The signs are very clear, there are magnifying glasses on shelves and trolleys, the lighting is better and the staff friendlier.
‘It’s clear they’re doing everything they can to attract the elderly and it’s been a commercial success since it opened two years ago.
'With a growing elderly population this has to be the future for supermarkets.
'We have to adapt to the fact we are living in a society with more elderly people.
‘We’re never going to go back to where there is a higher proportion of young people and adults.’
Figures published by the Office for National Statistics last week showed the UK now has more pensioners than children under 16.
In 20 years’ time, half the population of Europe will be aged over 50.
Since the Kaiser store opened in 2005, sales have increased by 25 per cent above forecast figures, with more than 60 per cent of its customers aged over 50.
Michael Kissman, a spokesman for Tesco, said plans for the store were still at an early stage.
A spokesman for the charity Help the Aged said: ‘Finally, supermarkets are waking up to the fact that pensioners are a huge customer base and pandering to their needs will cost little and lead to large rewards.
© 2008 Associated Newspapers Ltd
