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Tesco opens its first queue and checkout-free store in London

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2 min read
AUTHOR: Fiona Holland
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Person scanning to pay for items in supermarket

British supermarket chain Tesco has opened its first checkout-free supermarket in High Holborn in London this week.

The retailer partnered with tech start-up Trigo to help them launch the frictionless checkout service.

The new store called GetGo works through the Tesco app, where customers scan a QR code on their phone to enter their shop. There is no need to scan or queue to pay for any products as cameras and scales monitor the goods taken. Automatic payment is charged through the app once customers leave the shop, with a virtual receipt being received within a few minutes of leaving.

Rather than using facial recognition technology, the cameras track body movements in the shop. None of this information is stored or saved after the customer leaves the supermarket.

Customers purchasing age-restricted goods such as alcohol will be directed to a different area of the store where personal ID will be checked in-person by store staff.

Tesco first trialled the GetGo service in 2018 at their staff store in Welwyn Garden City.

With the launch of GetGo, Tesco now joins other retailers who are also running cashier-less food stores. Amazon for example opened one of their Just Walk Out supermarkets earlier this year in Ealing, West London, and Wembley Park. They also have six other stores already open across the U.K. 

Managing Director at Tesco Convenience Kevin Tindall, commented: “We are constantly looking for ways to improve the shopping experience and our latest innovation offers a seamless checkout for customers on the go, helping them to save a bit more time. This is currently just a one-store trial but we’re looking forward to seeing how our customers respond”.

The retailer has recently created other innovative services such as their reusable packing service which aims to reduce waste. The service is operating on a one-year trial in 10 supermarkets in England.

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