Tesco launches its first checkout-free GetGo store in London
It will give shoppers the option to pick up groceries and leave without using a physical in-store till
Tesco, the UK's largest supermarket chain, has become the latest retailer to launch a checkout-free store in the country.
The supermarket giant on Tuesday unveiled its first checkout-free GetGo store in London's High Holborn, joining the list of grocery retailers who are now giving shoppers the option to pick up groceries and leave without using a physical in-store till.
The launch of Tesco's till-less store follows a successful two-year trial at the group's Welwyn Garden City HQ. It replaces the Tesco Express on High Holborn, which was launched in 2018 as a cashless supermarket.
In order to change the Tesco Express into a cashier-less store, the firm has deployed high-tech cameras and weight sensors from automated solutions provider Trigo. These cameras and sensors will be used to see what items have been picked up by the customers.
To shop in the new store, customers will need to have the Tesco app in their mobile phones, which will be scanned as they enter the building.
After picking up their items, shopper won't need to stand in the queues at a checkout, but rather walk straight out of the shop.
They will be charged to the payment card linked with their Tesco grocery app and will also receive a receipt within minutes.
"This is currently just a one-store trial, but we're looking forward to seeing how our customers respond," Tesco CTO Guus Dekkers said.
He added that the new arrangement will save time for customers, remove any friction from the checkout, and offer "even more convenience" for them.
The move comes after Aldi opened its own till-free shop last month in Greenwich.
Amazon Fresh this year added five till-free branches in London, after opening its first Amazon Go grocery shop in Ealing in March.
Amazon opened its first automated supermarket, Amazon Go, in Seattle in 2018.
Morrisons, the Co-op, and Lidl have also conducted trials for checkout-free technology in their stores.
Israeli technology start-up Trigo, which provided the checkout-free technology to Tesco, has similar partnerships with supermarkets in Germany and the Netherlands.
Trigo CEO Michael Gabay described the Tesco's High Holborn GetGo store as "the first of its kind in the world".
"Customers will enter their local Tesco Express, with the layout they know and love, and easily shop and navigate throughout the store as usual," he said.
"The only difference is an improved, seamless experience."
Last year, Tesco also conducted trials using drones for grocery home deliveries. The pilot project took place in Ireland, with shoppers in Oranmore, County Galway, being the first to use the service.