DATALOGIC GUARANTEES MOBILITY AND INNOVATION TO THE “IPER – LA GRANDE I” GROUP

Bologna, February 4th, 2014 – For many years Datalogic, a global leader in the automatic data capture and industrial automation markets, and a producer of bar code readers, data collection mobile computers, sensors, vision systems, and laser marking systems, has supplied ’s “Iper – La Grande I” Group with products and technological solutions for the retail world.

To date, 1,000 Joya units, 700 Memor units and 50 Falcon units are present in five Iper hypermarkets and in the two refrigerated goods logistics platforms in and Truccazzano in the Province of .

The first Datalogic device to be adopted by the “Iper – La Grande I” Group was the Memor™ mobile computer, in 2008. Ergonomic, compact, and robust, it is capable of reading any type of 1D code, including GS1 DataBar. In the version featuring “wide aspect” 2D imager technology, it succeeds in capturing any type of image and correctly picking up all types of linear, stacked, and 2D bar codes. In the version with integrated laser, the terminal is equipped with the “Green Spot” (patented by Datalogic) for immediate, visual good-read feedback on every type of linear bar code. The main back office activities of the -based Group, such as inventories, reordering operations, verification of label printing, or price checking, are all supported by this mobile terminal, whose versatility and manageability make it easy for operators to use. Currently, 700 Memor units (of which 75 have been purchased recently), with their wide range of applications, are used throughout the Group’s entire network of hypermarkets.

The year 2008 saw the introduction of the innovative self-shopping solution. Today, five Iper Group hypermarkets have installed a total of 1,000 Joya™ devices. Technologically groundbreaking, ergonomic, and extremely simple to use, Joya is a device that simplifies the purchase experience, and offers the best management of the critical aspects of the final phase of shopping (checkout). Making the customer independent and reducing waiting time at the cash register, the Joya pod optimizes shopping, guaranteeing a significant return, both economic and in terms of image, for the retailer who selects it. With an eye to the future, the “Iper – La Grande I” Group are already thinking of increasing their Joya installations to meet market trends that predict a rise in self-shopping solutions within stores.

Since 2011, the Group’s two refrigerated goods logistics platforms in the have relied on the robust strength of 50 Falcon™ mobile computers. These devices use high-performance laser scanners to allow greater productivity in bar code reading during the phases of goods receipt, management, and delivery. Falcon mobile computers are synonymous with the highest reliability, even in harsh environments and difficult situations, and ensure that operators succeed in carrying out their activities on the move with precision and efficiency.

Romano Volta, Chairman and CEO of Datalogic Group, commented: “The partnership with Iper – La Grande I represents for us a source of great pride and a further testimony of Datalogic’s ability to establish solid relationships with customers and partners. Datalogic is a company capable of perfectly assessing the needs of the user and translating these into effective application systems that ensure high mobility. The goal is to continue in this direction and maintain our international leadership in the Automatic Data Capture market.”

“The “Iper – La Grande I” Group has found, in Datalogic, the ideal technological partner with whom to build a long term collaboration,” commented Valerio Cortese, Group Chief Information Officer at Iper Montebello S.p.A. “We know we can count on a team of professionals who are able to continually provide efficient technical and technological support, and together we have selected the devices that are best suited to meet our needs. Thanks to Datalogic, we have been able to offer our operating staff and our customers new generation, innovative devices with a simple, intuitive interface, which is easy to use and, at the same time, robust and reliable.”

The “Iper – La Grande I” Group was founded in 1974 with the opening of the first large-area store in Montebello della Battaglia (Pavia). In 1978, with the opening of the sixth store in Varese, a new model of management was introduced in the area of refrigerated products, which, over the following years, facilitated the development of a further sixteen stores. At the end of the 1990s, an agreement was signed with the French Promodes Group (later merged with Carrefour), which brought about a series of commercial and technical collaborations at the beginning of the 2000s, and ended with the full return of the Group into Italian hands. In 2005 came the acquisition of supermarkets in the Unes chain, which entered progressively into the Group and today is a full part of the Group’s commercial range. Currently “Iper – La Grande I” has 26 hypermarkets in Lombardy, Piemonte on the Adriatic coast, and in the North East. There are around 130 supermarkets that instead come directly under the Unes brand, and approximately 100 franchises throughout Lombardia, Emilia Romagna, and Piemonte. The estimated turnover for 2013 is 2.7 billion euro.