M&S moves to self-service

Marks and Spencer is piloting self-service checkouts at its branches in The Gyle shopping centre and on Princes Street. If it is a success, the checkouts could be rolled out across all M&S branches in the UK, reports Scotsman.

It is the first time any non-food retailer in the UK has allowed all products to be paid for through the self-service checkouts, which are already well used in supermarkets.

Retail and business groups welcomed the use of the technology, which they say could prove appealing to customers looking to spend as little time as possible in stores.

GuestLogix, a provider of on-board retail technology and services to airlines, railways and ferries, has reported a quarterly net loss of $1.2 million on revenue of $1.5 million, states The Chronicle Journal.

GuestLogix said that the loss before interest and taxes was $587 000 in its third quarter ended 31 August, compared with $456 000 in the year-ago period.

The quarter`s $1.5 million in revenue represented an increase from $225 000 a year earlier, when the net loss was $770 000. On a per-share basis, the latest quarter`s net loss was four cents, compared with three cents a year ago.

Soon RFID technology will be used not only to label jeans and everyday wear, but also textile products designed to meet high demands, says Fibre2fashion.

Northland is the newest company to join the EU project Bridge - "Building Radio Frequency IDentification for the Global Environment".

Together with the Austrian-based software and technology consultant RF-iT Solutions, Northland is entering a trial period to investigate how the use of radio tags on clothing is able to improve the efficiency of the entire logistics chain and shop process, as well as to optimise handling.