Retail equipment, shelf labels and point of sale

• Directive 2014/31/EU — non-automatic weighing instruments
• Directive 98/6/EC on price indication
• Directive 2014/35/EU — Low Voltage
• Regulation (EU) 2016/679 for customer-facing analytics
• Directive 2012/19/EU — WEEE

Who has to appoint one

Manufacturers outside the Union placing retail equipment on the EU market. Scales used to determine price require metrology approval, and electronic shelf labels must support the unit price display required by the price indication Directive.

Thresholds and exemptions

Metrology applies where the measurement determines the price. Price indication rules bind the retailer rather than the equipment maker, but the equipment must make compliance possible.

What must appear on the label

CE marking with the supplementary metrology marking where applicable, manufacturer and EU representative details, model and serial number, accuracy class for weighing instruments, and the WEEE symbol.

Marketplace fields

Retailers require metrology approval for checkout scales, and electronic shelf label systems are assessed for whether they can display the unit price and the prior price required by the Omnibus rules.

Documentation you must hold

EU declaration of conformity, technical file, EU type-examination certificate for weighing instruments, electrical and EMC test reports, and WEEE and packaging registrations. Where cameras or footfall analytics are included, the data protection documentation.

Standards and testing

EN 45501 for non-automatic weighing instruments, electrical and EMC testing, and for connected devices the applicable radio standards.

Language requirements

Instructions in the language of each member state where the equipment is placed on the market.

When it applies

Before placing on the market, with metrology type approval preceding sale for weighing instruments.

How long records are kept

Ten years.

What happens if you do not comply

Prohibition of use for unapproved weighing instruments, which stops the retailer trading, and separately fines under the price indication rules that fall on the retailer.

Who enforces it

National metrology authorities, market surveillance authorities and consumer protection authorities.

Where the boundary lies

Electronic shelf labels intersect with the Omnibus price reduction rules, which require the prior lowest price in the last thirty days to be shown: a system that cannot display it makes the retailer non-compliant. In-store cameras and footfall counters bring data protection obligations the equipment maker should document.

Questions we are asked

Do checkout scales need approval?

Yes, where the weight determines the price. That is a regulated measuring instrument requiring type examination and periodic verification in use.

Are electronic shelf labels regulated?

As electrical and radio products, yes. Their content is the retailer's responsibility, but the system must support the mandatory unit and prior price displays.