Aldi opens first checkout-free store in London

Discount supermarket chain Aldi, the UK’s fifth largest supermarket, has opened its first checkout-free store in London.

The Aldi Shop&Go concept store in Greenwich opened at 7am this morning for public testing, having been tested by Aldi colleagues in recent months.

The new trial store allows customers to complete their shop without scanning a single product, or having to go through a checkout.

Customers can download the Aldi Shop&Go app, which will allow them to enter the store, pick up their items, and then simply walk out when they have completed their shop. Once a customer leaves the store they will then be automatically charged for their shopping via their selected payment method and a receipt will appear in the app.

“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,” said Giles Hurley, CEO of Aldi UK and Ireland.

The system, provided by leading technology provider AiFi, uses specially positioned cameras to detect which products customers have picked up, before charging them to their Aldi Shop&Go account when they leave the store.

Customers wishing to purchase alcohol, or other Challenge 25 products, will be able to use facial age estimation technology to authorise their purchase. This technology, provided by Yoti, enables customers to confirm their identity within seconds via the Aldi Shop&Go app.