The Billa supermarket chain has opened a new, fully automated self-service store called Billa Box at Salzburg Airport (WA Mozart). With a sales area of almost 60 square meters, the store offers over 1.100 different items, including ready meals, snacks, and everyday essentials. Billa Box is open daily from 06:00 a.m. to 23:00 p.m. and adjusts its operating hours to those of the airport, allowing shopping on Sundays and public holidays as well.
This innovative concept is another step by the REWE Group, which owns Billa, towards modern and flexible local shopping. Access to the store is exclusively via debit card, which is scanned at the entrance. Payment is processed via self-checkout tills, where customers scan their own items and then pay cashless by debit or credit card. Billa is thus responding to the trend towards compact, unmanned retail outlets, which are intended to fill a supply gap, particularly at busy transport hubs or in urban areas outside of normal store hours. Similar concepts also exist from other retail chains and abroad.
At the opening ceremony, airport managing director Bettina Ganghofer emphasized the importance of the new facility for passengers, airport staff, and local residents. The Billa Box perfectly complements the existing offerings at the location, particularly due to its extended opening hours. Three short-term parking spaces with 30 minutes of free parking are also available directly in front of the store for customers who just want to quickly run an errand. The opening was accompanied by the Salzburg Perchten, a traditional figure in folklore, who were among the first visitors to the new branch.
The new Billa Box at Salzburg Airport underscores Billa's strategy of using technology to establish a future-proof and flexible shopping experience. Ernst Weißenbacher, Billa's Sales Manager for Salzburg and Tyrol, sees the combination of modern technology and a compact yet diverse product range as a viable format for the future. With this automation, the company is responding to changing shopping habits, which increasingly prioritize speed and independence.