Retail

The Greater Toronto Area becomes the Place To Be for Canada's Craftsmen

Wurth opens first North American flagship store with 24/7 technology concept provided by Wanzl

The 24/7 self-checkout store concept developed by Wanzl together with Adolf Wurth GmbH & Co. KG is already established in Germany. Now, Wurth’s Canadian subsidiary of the manufacturer of assembly and fastening materials has followed this frictionless format, which gives customers the flexibility to shop around the clock via a Wurth eShop account. Wurth Canada Ltd. opened North America's first flagship store in September of this year, located in Vaughan, a city in the Greater Toronto Area. This marks an important milestone for Wurth and Wanzl North America (NA).

Wurth offers more than 4,000 products in the Canadian 24/7 store. From hardware to hand tools, to chemicals, electrical supplies, abrasives and PPE, Wurth has what you need for your everyday industrial needs. As with the German 24/7 stores, this store is a hybrid solution. As Goran Abramovic, Vice President of Retail Sales & Operations at Wurth Canada Limited explains, “We want to give our customers the optimal shopping experience no matter how they choose to buy from us. During normal opening hours, we invite all customers to come see the breadth of our product range, receive product and technical advice from our qualified staff, and pay for their purchases at the service check-out desk. Additionally, approved business customers have the option of accessing the 24/7 functionality at any time (day or night) with their activated Wurth eShop account. Whether someone needs an item early in the morning, late at night, on a weekend or a Holiday, Wurth is always there for you”.

Store technology, Shop Equipment and Support - Wanzl North America's contribution

Wanzl NA has provided a turnkey solution for this project by transferring the self-checkout concept from German 24/7 Wurth stores. As with the German stores, Wanzl is responsible for the back-end technology in the Canadian 24/7 store. At its heart is the WanzlConnect® software platform. All technical processes in the store are controlled via WanzlConnect – including 24/7 access. Approved customers need to log-in to their Wurth eShop account to access the store and request a QR code. They scan the code at the outer store entrance to enter the building, and a second time inside at the eGate entrance system. Once on the retail floor, the customer can browse the extensive range of products at their leisure for up to one hour.

To purchase, the customer scans the QR code at the exit gates, and accesses the self-checkout station through a Wanzl Galaxyport. To initiate checkout, the initial QR code is scanned at the self-checkout station. Here, merchandise is scanned, and automatically debited from the customer's Wurth eShop account.

The modern and structured look of the Wurth Canada store design borrows heavily from Wurth Germany's stores, co-developed last year with Wanzl Germany. Wanzl NA supplied “wire tech 100®” shelving for product presentation, hand baskets, shopping carts, and local sourcing of millwork, such as the Service Desk and decorative items. Additionally, on-site installation, assembly and commissioning were the responsibility of Wanzl, as is ongoing 24/7 technical support for Wurth Canada.

Ben Hinnen, CEO of Wanzl North America stated that, "this is the first Wurth 24/7 store in North America and a clear demonstration of Wanzl's global capabilities, executed locally." Bernd Renzhofer, CSO at Wanzl GmbH & Co. KGaA, adds, "Wanzl is a total solution provider of both store equipment, including the digitization of the retail space, and also of store concept development through planning, design, and installation, in addition to complete lifecycle technical support during ongoing operations."