Intel and retailers including Tesco have formed a group to speed the adoption of Electronic Product Code (EPC) technology.

The chip giant has teamed up with Carrefour, Metro Group and Tesco to form a European working group to accelerate the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) and EPC technology, which is being touted as the successor to barcodes in retail supply chains.

Tesco IT director Colin Cobain said in a statement: "We recognise the importance of implementing an efficient supply chain and the benefits EPC and RFID could bring.

"We are currently trialling radio barcodes within our distribution network and have already seen some benefits. We hope to be able to roll this out soon."

The working group, called the EPC Retail Users Group of Europe, will work with current standards bodies, such as EPC Global, by providing a forum for European retailers to identify and share methods for implementing EPC-based technologies and business processes.

John Davies, vice president of Intel's sales and marketing group, said in a statement: "This industry group will help enable a transformation in retail.

"These technologies will provide the underpinnings for this transformation, and will lower inventory and supply chain management costs and drive customer loyalty through a new personalised shopping experience."