Regionales Genussdepot Osterholz-Scharmbeck

The Project

The funding program “Zukunftsräume Niedersachsen” aimed at small and medium-sized towns in Lower Saxony as well as municipalities and joint municipalities in rural areas. The aim of the program is to initiate urban-regional cooperation and to strengthen the development of projects that contribute to strengthening the anchor function of intermediate and basic centers for the surrounding rural areas.

Specific projects are funded, which can apply for funding on certain deadlines.

One of the selected projects is the “Regionales Genussdepot Osterholz-Scharmbeck” in the city of Osterholz-Scharmbeck.

The aim of the project “Regionales Genussdepot Osterholz-Scharmbeck” is to increase the accessibility and consumption of regional products by the use of digital innovations.

Goals

A vacant commercial property is rented at a central location in the city center of Osterholz-Scharmbeck, in which a 24/7 pick-up station with both non-refrigerated and refrigerated compartments is being set up. This enables perishable goods, such as food, from regional producers to be sold via the station. At the same time, an online shop will be set up that will display all participating companies and their products.

A logistics network has to be set up with the help of a partner, so that the products can be picked up from the companies and producers, orders can be commissioned at a central place and finally placed in the station.

After ordering, customers receive a code that they can enter at the pick-up station.  Afterwards the compartment which contains the order will open and the customer can remove the goods. The pick-up process does not require any employees, so there are no restrictions on opening times and goods can be picked up 24/7.

The project is rounded off with a pop-up café. Since the pick-up station does not need the entire rented retail space, a café will be installed on the rest of the space, which on the one hand serves as a contact point for citizens and on the other hand is intended to provide further information about the products on offer.

The project should have positive effects in many directions. On the one hand, another sales channel for local producers should be established. The distance that citizens have to cover to buy local products (many local producers are more likely to be located outside the city center) will be shortened and the limited pick-up time, for example on markets, will be extended.

In addition, a vacant commercial property in a central location will be filled and people will be attracted to the city center.

The café should also provide information to the citizens about local products and at the same time create a previously missing space to gather and linger in the city center.

aconium responsibilities

aconium has supported the city of Osterholz-Scharmbeck in the process of project development and application.

In the current projectstage, aconium further takes on the task of the marketing concept, which includes the design of a word/figurative mark, the creation of effective advertising materials and the organization and implementation of events.