Aldi set to trial first checkout-free supermarket

Aldi is trialling its first checkout-free store to allow customers to shop at the supermarket and exit without the need to pay at a till.

The discount supermarket chain said the store is in London but declined to give further details of the location of the trial site.

It said shoppers will scan a smartphone app to enter the store and can then pick up their shopping and walk out the store.

Technology in the stores will track the items picked up, before sending shoppers an email receipt and charging them automatically using their chosen payment method.

The trial comes after Amazon opened a number of stores across London using similar technology.

Aldi, the UK’s fifth-largest supermarket group, said that colleagues are currently testing the site and that further trials will be carried out by members of the public.

Giles Hurley, chief executive officer for Aldi UK and Ireland, said: “We are always looking to redefine what it means to be a discount retailer, and the technology involved in this trial will give us a wealth of learnings.

“We are really excited to be testing this concept that will enable customers to pick from our range of quality products, all available at unbeatable prices, then leave the store without having to pay at a till.”

The first concept store will employ approximately the same number of colleagues as a typical Aldi Local, the retailer’s smaller format shop, the group said.

Monday’s announcement follows Aldi’s launch of click and collect services last year, which has now been expanded to over 200 stores across the UK.