“It’s new – it’s sensational” Those were the words uttered by Sylvan Goldman, owner of the Humpty Dumpty supermarket chain in Oklahoma City on 4 June 1937, as he presented his innovation, the shopping trolley, to the public. Since then it has become an indispensable everyday item. Rudolf Wanzl, who had been producing shopping baskets since 1949, visited Goldman in the USA in 1951. He came up with a brilliant idea for the Concentra shopping trolley on his return flight to Germany, and patented it the same year. His invention was perfectly in keeping with the spirit of the times. Together with the shopping trolley, the self-service store was triumphing in the land of the economic miracle. In the years that followed, Wanzl won numerous national and international orders, helping the company to build up its shopping trolley mass production. “At that time Wanzl, with the shopping trolley, was largely the driving factor behind the consumer revolution. Today, we sell 2.5 million shopping trolleys worldwide every year,” says Dr Meier-Kortwig, Chairman of the Management Board.
From the classic metal model to the modern plastic Salsa shopping trolley
Not all shopping trolleys are alike. Wanzl has proved this with its extensive range of products to suit any need. Wanzl creates items to suit each specific store – whether it is the small 75-litre model for a small corner shop or the 240-litre shopping assistant for the hypermarket. However, Wanzl also bears in mind the individual requirements of the customer: the “Trend” model with baby seat allows for child-friendly shopping, with a bag hook and cup holder to keep your hands free, while an integrated magnifying glass makes reading important information easier as you shop. Last year, Wanzl launched a new generation of plastic shopping trolleys with the 150-litre Salsa model. The roll-out of the model marks a fresh new departure in terms of design, appearance and smooth motion. The strikingly innovative concept is also visually appealing. Product designer Thomas Gasche explains: “We drew inspiration from organically developed shapes in nature. The sides of the Salsa, the first trolley in the new product family, resemble a nest structure. Thanks to the plastic material used to make the trolleys, we are able to produce exciting shapes for a unique shopping experience.” The 95-litre variant will be available from July 2017.
Shopping trolley 2.0: the next 80 years of shopping with Wanzl
Smart shopping is also becoming a reality thanks to Wanzl. “While Wanzl is driving change in the retail sector every day through digitisation, we are also making Shopping 2.0 possible with our smart trolley. The intelligent shopping trolley is equipped with an RFID tag and provides store managers with important information for customer-oriented optimisation,” says Dr Meier-Kortwig, Chairman of the Management Board, emphasising that “Wanzl is ready for the next 80 years of shopping in the future.”
