On Monday, the Lidl retail chain opened a new store in the center of Prague, in Na Příkopě Street, in a historic building where the Czechoslovak Commercial Bank used to operate. The store therefore needs the original safe, or its door from the time when the building belonged to the bank. It is also the second branch where Lidl has decided to install self-service cash registers.
“Due to the atypical space, we had to use crane technology when modifying the store, many racks were specially tailored and larger equipment had to be placed in the store before the escalator installation,” said Lidl spokesman Tomáš Myler to place the store in the historic area.
Na Příkopě Street in Prague is one of the most expensive streets in the world. For example, according to a study by the consulting company Cushman & Wakefield from 2019, it ranked 18th on the most expensive streets out of a total of 68 places. The highest annual rent in Na Příkopě was 2820 euros (about 72,190 crowns) per square meter.
The new store in the center is more aimed at smaller purchases by residents of adjacent neighborhoods and employees or tourists. According to the chain, the store is also atypical with wide alleys, it also offers ample storage space at the cash registers. Customers have free wi-fi and a coffee machine.
Lidl is one of the last chains in the Czech Republic to decide to introduce the concept of self-service cash registers. He launched the pilot project only in February at a store in Prague 4, where he began testing a total of six cash registers. There are eight of them available in the Na Příkopě store.
The Lidl chain continues to hold the position of the strongest chain in the Czech Republic, and currently operates a total of 294 stores there. These are not only separate standard stores, but also city stores with several floors or “tailor-made” stores that adapt to established spaces.
Competition also comes with new concepts. Recently, it has also focused more on small-format stores. Albert, Globus, Penny and Makro, for example, have tried this concept in the past.
This year, the Coop chain launched the first completely self-service store in the Czech Republic. Customers can shop there 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To enter outside the opening hours, when no staff is already present at the store, they need a special application with a link to the bank identity.
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