Building a store at the heart of the community

When Stephan Schlüter and Dorothee Stöterau opened Frischemarkt Schlüter in Fockbek in January 2026, they wanted to create more than a supermarket. They wanted to build a welcoming neighbourhood destination where freshness, regional products and personal service come together to create an outstanding shopping experience. 

The 2,500-square-metre store reflects that ambition in every department. More than 50 regional suppliers contribute to the assortment, allowing customers to discover fresh produce and local specialities while supporting businesses from the surrounding area. Beyond the store itself, the team is actively involved in the local community through fundraising initiatives, deposit donation programmes and partnerships with local organisations. 

A destination for confectionery lovers 

One of the store's biggest highlights is the confectionery department, designed to surprise, inspire and create memorable shopping experiences. 

Offering around 900 confectionery products, including approximately 55 loose pick & mix varieties, the department combines trend-driven products with nostalgic favourites. Stephan Schlüter explains that the goal was to create something customers would remember.

"The main idea was to create an exceptional highlight in our confectionery department by offering loose confectionery products." 

The Candy Club concept, together with HL’s bins, gives customers the freedom to mix their own selection while creating an inviting display that stands out on the shop floor. 

For Stephan, the attraction goes beyond the products themselves. 

"We offer something that very few others do, while also evoking nostalgic childhood memories for our customers." 

The department has been carefully designed to reinforce the experience, with distinctive pink shelving, themed decorations, lighting effects that run every hour and even the aroma of freshly made popcorn.

"We wanted to place a special emphasis on trend-driven products," says Stephan. "Products such as Dubai chocolate and Takis chips show that availability is often more important than price." 

The concept has already proven successful, with the store now introducing the same loose confectionery concept in a second location. 

Creating consistency throughout the store 

Maintaining an attractive shopping environment throughout the trading day requires more than thoughtful design. It also requires solutions that make daily operations easier. Across key departments, HL's shelf automation solutions help products remain neatly fronted and easy to shop while reducing the need for continuous manual shelf facing.

"The main reasons for introducing the pusher solution were its visual appeal and the time savings it offers," Stephan explains. 

Although restocking can occasionally take slightly longer, the overall result is a consistently high-quality presentation with minimal ongoing effort.

"The key benefit is that the shelves consistently maintain a high-quality, well-organised appearance with minimal ongoing effort." 

The experience has been positive enough that the team is already exploring opportunities to expand the solution into additional product categories. 

Fresh presentation that supports quality 

The fresh produce department follows the same philosophy. Using HL's Sigma™ system, fruit and vegetables are presented in a refrigerated environment that keeps the department looking fresh, organised and appealing throughout the day.

"Our main reason for choosing the Sigma™ system was its ability to present loose fruit and vegetables in a refrigerated environment in an attractive and appealing way," says Stephan. 

The result is a department where product visibility, freshness and presentation work together to create an inviting shopping experience. 

Helping people focus on people 

Across the store, HL's solutions quietly support the team's daily work by reducing routine tasks and making it easier to maintain high presentation standards. This gives employees more time to focus on customer service, fresh food departments and creating the welcoming atmosphere that defines Frischemarkt Schlüter.

By combining thoughtful store design, regional engagement and operational efficiency, the store demonstrates how modern retail can deliver an exceptional experience for customers while supporting the people behind it.