Sainsbury’s Opens U.K.’s First Scan and Go C-Store

LONDON – Sainsbury’s has opened the first U.K. cashier-free convenience store, beating Amazon to the punch, Internet Retailing reports. Customers use the chain’s SmartShop app to scan, pay and leave the store. The company has removed the cash registers at the Holborn Circus, London, location during the three-month test.

The store has more grab-and-go foods and drinks, including a self-service coffee machine, than other Sainsbury’s convenience stores. Clerks will restock and assist customers, and a staffed helpdesk will process cash or credit card payments from customers who prefer to pay that way. Customer transactions at this location were 82% cashless already.

“We know our customers value their time, and many want to shop as quickly as possible—technology is key to that,” said Clodagh Moriarty, Sainsbury’s Group chief digital officer. “This is an experiment rather than a new format for us. It hasn’t been done in the U.K.”

Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s sister company, Argos, last week opened its first self-service location, where customers browse and pay for their purchases via in-store tablets. “We’re continuing to test innovative new formats, and with the launch of our first self-service digital store we’re offering shoppers a speedier way to pay and giving our colleagues more time to serve and help customers,” said John Rogers, CEO of Sainsbury’s Argos.

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