Aldi Launches London Pilot of Cashierless Supermarket

Aldi is piloting its first cashierless supermarkets open to the public in Greenwich, London, on Wednesday (Jan. 19) following a successful trial of the technology by Aldi’s employees over the past few months.

The U.K.’s fifth-largest supermarket, Aldi’s new concept store, Aldi Shop&Go, enables customers to shop without scanning any products or having to go through a checkout line. People download the Aldi Shop&Go app to enter the store, and payment is processed with the preferred method they selected. The receipt is automatically sent via the app.

See also: Amazon’s ‘Just Walk Out’ Cashierless Tech Goes Big With New Grocery Store

“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,” Giles Hurley, CEO of Aldi U.K. and Ireland, said in a press release.

“This store utilizes the very latest in retail technology, offering Aldi’s award-winning products and unbeatable prices to customers in a new and innovative way. The team is really excited about seeing customers come in and experience Aldi Shop&Go,” Hurley said.

Aldi Shop&Go is powered by AiFi’s technology, which entails the use of tiny cameras strategically positioned to capture the products customers take from shelves. The technology then charges their account as they exit the store.

Read more: London Supermarket Tesco Trials Cashierless GetGo To Rival Amazon Go

Customers purchasing alcohol or other Challenge 25 products must use facial age estimation technology powered by Yoti to authorize their purchase. The technology verifies a customer’s age in seconds and works from within the Aldi Shop&Go app.

“I cannot wait to show customers our new Aldi Shop&Go store. 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,” said Lewis Esparon, store manager.

“For us, steps like this are always about improving the customer experience, and the whole team is looking forward to being on-hand and ready to help to ensure that experience is as smooth as ever,” Esparon added.