Żabka

Four grocery retail giants are currently working together to find innovations in the field of retail technology with their Disrupt Retail initiative. Disrupt Retail was first launched in 2017 by Portuguese grocery retail market leader MC Sonae, which owns the Continente distribution lines, as a call for technology start-ups.

The Polish market leader for convenience stores Żabka has opened its first hybrid store, Żabka Non Stop. From 6:00 am to 11:00 pm, the store is operated in a traditional manned manner, with customers being able to pay either at a normal checkout or at a self-checkout terminal. From 11:00 pm to 6:00 am, shopping is unmanned with autonomous checkout…

Auchan Polska has opened its first autonomous mini-store in Warsaw under the banner name Auchan Go. The store's technology is provided by Trigo. The fact that shoppers only register at the entrance terminal with a common bank card and their phone number instead of having to identify themselves via a retailer app and QR codes is new for the Israeli…

At Berlin's Ostbahnhof station, DB Station&Service AG has opened a checkoutless store as a 24/7 ServiceStore with technology from Californian Grab&Go specialist AiFi. Cameras on the ceiling and sensors in the shelves of the 40 square metre store replace scanning completely. It is the first publicly accessible AiFi store in Germany.

Rewe subsidiary Lekkerland today put an autonomous container store with technology from AiFi into operation on its own premises in Frechen. One for all shoppers is to follow soon.

Polish convenience store leader Żabka is rapidly pushing ahead with the expansion of cashierless stores. While large retail chains such as Aldi Nord and Süd, Carrefour, Edeka's Netto, Tesco and Rewe are testing checkout-free stores at individual locations in Europe, Żabka Group has already opened fifty stores of its AI-based banner line Żabka Nono in Poland.