Aldi has opened its first checkout-free store where customers will be able to walk out without queuing to pay for their shopping.
High-tech cameras will track customers as they shop at the supermarket in Greenwich, southeast London, and then bill them when they leave.
From Tuesday, customers who have registered with Aldi’s Shop&Go app, will be able to enter the store, pick up their items, and then walk out.
Aldi’s aim is to eliminate long queues in its shops and follows Amazon and Tesco, who have both opened checkout-free sites.
The German-owned retailer said shoppers will also be able to buy alcohol using facial age estimation technology to check whether they appear to be over the age of 25.
Customers must confirm their identity via the app, while those opting out will be age-verified in store.
Aldi has been trialling the store with employees over the past few months before launching the service on Tuesday.
Giles Hurley, the company’s UK and Ireland chief executive, said: “Today is the culmination of months of work, not least from the team here in Greenwich, and I’m looking forward to seeing how customers react to our trial.
“This store utilises the very latest in retail technology.”
Store manager Lewis Esparon said: “We have been working towards this day for several months now so it will be great to see how our customers react to the new technology.”
Aldi last year announced it was creating 2,000 new jobs and adding 100 new stores in the UK over two years.
With more than 900 outlets already, Aldi is Britain’s fifth biggest grocery retailer by market share, ahead of the likes of Co-op and Waitrose.
https://news.sky.com/story/aldi-opens-first-till-free-store-in-london-to-end-customer-queues-at-checkout-12518931
