Tesco Hints at 3D Printing Coming to Retail

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Will Tesco Introduce 3D Printing?

Retail giant Tesco is giving hints about its potential entrance into 3D printing.

In a blog post by Tesco Innovation Ambassador Paul Wilkinson, he shared his enthusiasm for 3D printing technology and hinted at how it could be introduced at Tesco.

So what does this all mean for Tesco then? Well I’m making no promises, but there are a few things I can predict for the future. We already print photos and posters in many of our larger stores, so why not other gifts and personalised items? How about letting kids design their own toys and then actually being able to get them made. What if we had a digital catalogue of spare parts for items that you’d bought? They could be printed on demand and ready for you by the time you’d finished your shopping. You could even take a broken item in to store; we could scan it in 3D, repair it digitally and make you a new one. The potential for 3D technology to revolutionise the way we view stores and what we can get from them is vast.

We’re pretty excited about 3D printing and we’ll be working hard to see how we might be able use it to make things better for customers. We won’t stop there though and as always we’re constantly seeking out the genuinely ‘next big thing.’ Up next I’ve got a trip to Silicon Valley – the heart of the technology industry, where as well as meeting some of the big names I’ll also be getting together with lots of start-ups and trying to find that idea or product that might just change the retail world. Watch this space to find out more about what I get up to.

With Staples already embracing 3D printing and many other retail shops introducing 3D printers and 3D printed goods on their shelves, will Tesco be the next to join the movement?

Photo of Paul Wilkinson’s desk from his blog post.

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