Keep a bigger eye on what you buy

Friday 06 February 2015

Shoppers struggling to see what they are buying are being given a helping hand at the Co-op's new store.

They’ve stuck 20 magnifiers on the shelves of their new supermarket in Grouville so that customers can see exactly what they want – good news for the 60% of us the Society say pop to the shops leaving our glasses at home!

The local Society’s chief executive officer Colin Macleod said: “As more and more dietary information needs to be put onto packaging, the writing has become smaller and smaller over the years. It’s vital – particularly for customers with allergies – that the writing can be read, and often this can prove very difficult.

“The i-viewer is a fantastic invention, which will revolutionise shopping for many. Even those without allergies often find it difficult to read sell-by dates, especially if they have left their reading glasses at home. At the Channel Islands Co-operative Society the customer is always at the forefront of our minds and we thought it would be fantastic if we could offer this device at our new Locale Grouville.”

The new store opened on Thursday and has also been fitted with solar panels that should help generate around £2,500 worth of electricity a year – enough to power four or five average size houses in the Island.

The Co-op have fitted a screen in the store so shoppers can see exactly how much energy is being produced

Mr Macleod said: “This demonstrates our commitment to corporate social responsibility in the Channel Islands and in particular to the environment, through on-island energy production.”

If the i-viewers prove a success there are plans to roll them out into other Co-op stores across the Island.