Supermarkets to up spending on self-checkout, workforce management

Supermarkets plan to increase spending on self-checkout systems and workforce management, projects new report from retail analyst and consultancy firm IHL Consulting Group, Franklin, Tenn. The report, "IT and the North American Supermarket," found that 31 percent of the sample planned to install self-checkout systems in 2005 and 50 percent plan to do so by June 2006. "Self-checkout is the prominent focus of hardware capital spend this year for grocers," said IHL president Greg Buzek in a statement. The report also found that point-of-sale hardware will be the next big purchase after self-checkout is installed in most supermarket samples. A total of 44 percent of grocers are planning new workforce management solutions in the next year, while more than 40 percent are planning new kiosk implementations at store level by June 2006.