Aldi opens first checkout-free store in UK

Discount grocer Aldi , owned by private German company Aldi Süd , has opened its first checkout-free store in the London borough of Greenwich . The concept store, called Aldi Shop&Go, has now opened to the public after months of testing with internal staff .

It is reported that users need to download the Aldi Shop&Go application to obtain the qualification to enter the store. After selecting the products they need , they can leave the store directly without self-checkout or going to the counter to check out. After the customer leaves the store , the system will deduct the payment through the payment method bound by the user and provide a shopping receipt.

The system, powered by autonomous shopping platform service provider AiFi , uses specially positioned cameras to detect what customers have purchased and deducts money from their Aldi Shop&Go accounts when they leave the store .

Aldi 's move is intended to compete with Amazon for market share in the UK. In March 2021 , Amazon opened its first physical store outside the United States in the Ealing district of London. The checkout-free convenience store, called Amazon Fresh, uses the same "Just Walk Out" technology as the Amazon Go store in the United States .

Amazon Fresh, first launched in Seattle in 2018 , is launching in the UK to cut the need for human cashiers and cash payments. Cameras equipped with computer vision and facial recognition technology and automatic sensors monitor what customers take from the shelves , and when customers check out, the system automatically charges the card linked to the Amazon Go mobile app .

For customers who wish to purchase alcohol or other age-restricted items , Yoti ’s facial recognition technology can be used to confirm their age and authorize the purchase, while store staff can assist with age verification.

Giles Hurley, Aldi UK CEO , said: “Aldi is always working to improve the customer experience and this Aldi Shop&Go store uses the latest retail technology to provide customers with products at a super high cost-effectiveness in a whole new way .

E-commerce platform

Aldi

U.K.

Payment

Unmanned vending machine