Coop Danmark is planning to open the first unmanned grocery store in Denmark during the first quarter of 2018.
The retailer is trialling the new concept, Beep & Pay, in one of its Dagli'Brugsen neighbourhood stores in Sengeløse, a town west of Copenhagen.
Customers scan their mobile phone when entering the store so that they can be identified. Then, they scan products themselves as they shop, and pay for their purchases via the Beep & Pay app.
The store will be monitored by camera surveillance, but employees will only be present for a few hours a day to restock fresh produce.
Technology Trials
Coop Danmark says that it has tested Beep & Pay in approximately ten different stores over the past couple of years, and that the system now works satisfactorily.
"With the new model, we can reduce labour costs and extend opening hours," said Jesper K. Andersen, senior vice president of Dagli' Brugsen.
"Now we want to see how customers respond to it."
Online retail giant Amazon unveiled a similar technology last year with its bricks-and-mortar grocery concept Amazon Go, however, this still only has one prototype store, in Seattle, Washington.
Elsewhere, Sainsbury's is trialling a checkout-less service in London, Walmart has expanded its Scan & Go app in US stores, and Irish company Everseen has developed a new fully-automated checkout-free system.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
