Waitrose is to deploy electronic shelf labels (ESL) across all of its stores, completing the rollout in 2026.

The move aims to reduce the time the supermarket’s employees spend on manually updating tickets and allow them to spend more time with customers.

The technology has rapid update speeds designed to support the high levels of accuracy needed across the company’s food categories.

The new system also has built-in features which help to streamline everyday tasks such as checking the status of stock.

The ESL will be installed in partnership with display technology company SOLUM, a spin-off from Samsung Electro-Mechanics.

Mark Duckworth, country manager UK & Ireland at SOLUM, said the firm had worked closely with Waitrose to ensure the rollout provided meaningful value in stores.

The move comes after Waitrose announced last month plans to invest a record £50 million in technology across its store estate.

This includes the trial of an AI-powered app on a handheld device which will allow its employees to check stock and answer customer queries.

The technology rollout is part of a wider £1 billion investment to enhance its existing 317 shops and open new ones.

The opening of a new shop in Newbury will act as a testing ground for new technology and retail concepts.

Several other UK supermarkets have installed ESL over the past six months, including Morrisons which announced in October that it would roll out the technology across its entire estate of 497 stores.

During the same month Asda installed ESL across all 250 of its express stores, while Currys announced in September it would install them in all stores.

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