Online retailer Amazon may be bringing its checkout-free Amazon Go grocery format to the UK, after it was revealed that it had registered for a UK trademark on December 5, The Guardian reported on Friday.
The company has been tightlipped about whether it will expand the design outside of the US, the publication said.
It opened its first iteration of the concept in Seattle the same day, accessible by employees only. It will be open to the public early next year. Customers scan their downloaded Amazon Go app at the door, which will track what they choose or return and add or subtract it to a virtual shopping cart. Once shoppers exit the store, their credit cards are charged for their purchases.
Amazon began its foray into the grocery sector in 2007, when it launched the AmazonFresh delivery service, now active in 16 markets across the US.
This venture has concerned some traditional retailers, who fear the etailer's massive offer will eat into their profits.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Karen Henderson. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
