Writing in a blog on the retailer’s website, Wilkinson said that the potential for 3D technology to transform the shopping experience was 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,” he said.

He revealed that Tesco is looking at the possibility of creating a digital catalogue of spare parts for items purchased by shoppers that could be printed on demand and ready for collection at the till point.

“You could even take a broken item into store; we could scan it in 3D, repair it digitally and make you a new one,” he added.

Photos and posters are already printed many of Tesco’s larger stores, and the company is now looking at utilising 3D printing to create other gifts and personalised items such as toys.

“The potential for 3D technology to revolutionise the way we view stores and what we can get from them is vast,” Wilkinson predicted.

Maxine Perella

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