ATLANTA, Jan. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) today reported that K-VA-T Food Stores, Genuardi's Family Markets and Snyders IGA are among the latest to join a growing list of retail chains installing NCR Self-Checkout.
"Shoppers appreciate having the option to scan, bag and pay for their own purchases," said Ron Southard, NCR vice president, Food Industry Solutions, for the Americas. "Retailers are learning this from their own customers, from news reports, and from other retailers. Clearly, they like what they are seeing and hearing."
K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc. started with NCR Self-Checkout in mid-2000 at two of the company's Food City stores in Tennessee. The chain recently announced it is considering deploying NCR Self-Checkout in 30 additional stores by the end of 2001.
"We're committed to effectively applying technology to improve customer service," said Jack C. Smith, chief executive officer of K-VA-T. "And our shoppers who use self-checkout have told us they appreciate having this option in such an easy-to-use system."
In suburban Philadelphia, NCR Self-Checkout is serving customers at three Genuardi's supermarkets, and the chain has ordered units for two more stores.
"Customer response has been extremely positive," Genuardi's Director of Process Improvement Mike Connolly said. "This system is ideal for small transactions, especially during the lunch and dinner rush."
Connolly added that Genuardi's also plans to install the NCR Self-Checkout C-Series, which can be easily converted from self-checkout to high volume cashier-assisted checkout. Snyders IGA has installed NCR Self-Checkout in two of the company's six stores in Oklahoma.
Jim Mills, owner of Snyders, said, "Our customers who use the systems really love the self-service option. They like the convenience and the ability to be in control of their own checkout process."
Snyders is served by Retail Data Solutions, NCR's authorized dealer for Oklahoma and Arkansas.
The feedback from these retailers is consistent with results of a recent NCR-sponsored survey of more than 1,000 adults. Nearly half the respondents said they have used self-checkout while shopping. Thirty-six percent cited shorter lines and 32 percent identified greater speed as the major advantages of self-checkout.
About Genuardi's Family Markets, Inc.
Genuardi's Family Markets, based in Norristown, Pa., has been serving customers for more than 80 years and currently operates 36 stores under the Genuardi's division and three stores under the wholly owned Zagara's division. Genuardi's has received national and regional recognition for its commitment to innovation and service. On Dec. 5, 2000, Safeway Inc. and Genuardi's jointly announced a definitive agreement under which Safeway will acquire Genuardi's.
About K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc.
K-VA-T Food Stores, a privately owned company headquartered in Abingdon, Va., operates in Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee. It is one of the largest grocery chains in the region, with about 85 supermarkets primarily under the Food City banner. Forbes currently lists K-VA-T among the 400 largest privately held companies in the United States. K-VA-T also operates its own 900,000 square foot warehousing and distribution center.
About Snyders IGA
Headquartered in Oklahoma City, Snyders operates six IGA supermarkets in the central Oklahoma area. Working hard to satisfy shoppers for 40 years, Snyders employs nearly 500 Oklahomans who are "Hometown Proud" because they live, work, invest, and have a commitment to their local communities. Snyders has historically given back to the communities it operates in through supporting local schools, churches and civic organizations.
About NCR Corporation
NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) is a leader in providing Relationship Technology(TM) solutions to customers worldwide in the retail, financial, communications, manufacturing, travel and transportation, and insurance markets. NCR's Relationship Technology solutions include privacy-enabled Teradata(R) warehouses and customer relationship management (CRM) applications, store automation and automated teller machines (ATMs). The company's business solutions are built on the foundation of its long- established industry knowledge and consulting expertise, value-adding software, global customer support services, a complete line of consumable and media products, and leading edge hardware technology. NCR employs 32,900 in more than 100 countries, and is a component stock of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index. More information about NCR and its solutions may be found at www.ncr.com .
NCR and Teradata are trademarks or registered trademarks of NCR Corporation in the United States and other countries. SOURCE NCR Corporation
CONTACT: Robert, Kelly, Kramer of NCR Corporation, 770-623-7215, or kelly.kramer@ncr.com/
