Tesco Plc is expanding its experiment with stores where customers can walk straight out with their shopping instead of visiting a checkout counter. The only catch is, this time there will be traditional cashiers on offer as well.
(Bloomberg) — Tesco Plc is expanding its experiment with stores where customers can walk straight out with their shopping instead of visiting a checkout counter. The only catch is, this time there will be traditional cashiers on offer as well.
Three new GetGo stores in London and Birmingham will follow a “hybrid format” designed to avoid alienating customers who have been put off by cashierless technology.
Tesco followed Amazon.com Inc. last year by opening its first cashierless store in London’s High Holborn, allowing customers to check in with the Tesco app, pick up groceries and leave thanks to a network of cameras tracking what they buy.
The three new stores will use the same technology, but shoppers who don’t want to use the app will still be able to use self-service tills or have their goods scanned by a person.
“We want to make the shopping trip as quick and convenient as possible,” said Kevin Tindall, managing director for Tesco Convenience.
The new stores are Chiswell Street Express and Fulham Reach Express in London as well as Aston University Express in Birmingham.
Tesco is partnering with Trigo Vision Ltd., an Israel-based company that has developed cameras and software allowing retailers to charge people automatically. Trigo is already working with German supermarket giants REWE Group and Aldi Nord, as well as Israel’s largest supermarket chain, Shufersal, and the company recently raised $100 million to help fund its expansion.
Rival J Sainsbury Plc also has a cashierless store in High Holborn using Amazon’s system of people-tracking cameras. Amazon jump-started interest in cashierless shopping with its Amazon Go-branded chain of convenience stores.
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