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Agencies
Amazon has opened a cashier-free supermarket in London, its first bricks and mortar expansion outside the U.S. as the company bets on strong demand for its contactless shops.
The online retailing giant opened the doors to its Amazon Fresh shop in West London’s Ealing neighborhood on Thursday, in what it said will be the first in a wave of shops in the British capital using its automated checkout technology.
Shoppers use a smartphone app to scan a QR code so they can enter the store. They can fill their shopping bags with milk, eggs or other groceries while cameras and sensors track what’s taken off shelves.
Purchases are charged to an Amazon account after leaving and a receipt sent by email. There’s no need to wait in line to pay at the checkout, a feature that has more appeal after the pandemic highlighted the need for social distancing.
Amazon said that technology placed around the 2,500 square foot store automatically detects when products are taken from or returned to the shelves. The items are then stored in a virtual basket. When shoppers leave the store, their Amazon account is automatically charged, and a receipt is sent via email.
The Amazon Fresh store in west London will be stocked with “by Amazon” own brand grocery products spanning fresh and hot foods, household goods, flowers and magazines, the retailer said.
“The Amazon Fresh store will offer customers everything they’d want from their local neighborhood grocery store with an experience that allows shoppers to simply take what they want and just walk out,” Amazon said in a statement.
Amazon owns the Whole Foods grocery chain, which has several locations in London and sells health food products. But Amazon Fresh is meant to reach different customers. A handful of the stores are already open in the United States.
Clive Black, head of research at investment bank Shore Capital, told CNN Business on Thursday that the London store signaled the company’s “long term ambitions” in the United Kingdom.
“For Amazon it’s an iterative development that extends its reach in grocery but I think Amazon is on a long journey in grocery here,” he added.
The store opened its doors at 7AM this morning, and will be open until 11PM, seven days a week. It covers 2,500 square feet making it a similar size to the company’s Amazon Go locations in the US, and a lot smaller than its first Amazon Go Grocery store. Additional stores are planned for the Greater London area, the company says.
This isn’t Amazon’s first effort in autonomous and cashier-less shopping. The company’s Amazon Go convenience stores use hundreds of cameras and proprietary AI technology to allow customers to walk in, grab a handful of items, and get an electronic receipt as they leave.
Amazon already operates 26 cashier-free convenience stores in the U.S. under the Amazon Go brand and two larger supermarkets called Amazon Go Grocery. As part of its U.K. launch, Amazon also unveiled its new private label food brand, by Amazon.
Amazon says its London store, whose existence in Ealing was spotted earlier this week, will stock a range of groceries, and fresh meals. There’ll also be hot food sold under the company’s own “by Amazon” label, which it says are prepared in store. The aim is to offer customers “everything they’d want from their local neighbourhood grocery store,” the company says.
Due to the pandemic, the company has a series of hygiene-focused measures in place at the store. Its maximum occupancy is limited to 20 to allow for social distancing, and there’s PPE and disposable gloves available at the store’s entrance.
Amazon has opened a cashier-free supermarket in London, its first bricks and mortar expansion outside the U.S. as the company bets on strong demand for its contactless shops.
The online retailing giant opened the doors to its Amazon Fresh shop in West London’s Ealing neighborhood on Thursday, in what it said will be the first in a wave of shops in the British capital using its automated checkout technology.
Shoppers use a smartphone app to scan a QR code so they can enter the store. They can fill their shopping bags with milk, eggs or other groceries while cameras and sensors track what’s taken off shelves.
Purchases are charged to an Amazon account after leaving and a receipt sent by email. There’s no need to wait in line to pay at the checkout, a feature that has more appeal after the pandemic highlighted the need for social distancing.
Amazon said that technology placed around the 2,500 square foot store automatically detects when products are taken from or returned to the shelves. The items are then stored in a virtual basket. When shoppers leave the store, their Amazon account is automatically charged, and a receipt is sent via email.
The Amazon Fresh store in west London will be stocked with “by Amazon” own brand grocery products spanning fresh and hot foods, household goods, flowers and magazines, the retailer said.
“The Amazon Fresh store will offer customers everything they’d want from their local neighborhood grocery store with an experience that allows shoppers to simply take what they want and just walk out,” Amazon said in a statement.
Amazon owns the Whole Foods grocery chain, which has several locations in London and sells health food products. But Amazon Fresh is meant to reach different customers. A handful of the stores are already open in the United States.
Clive Black, head of research at investment bank Shore Capital, told CNN Business on Thursday that the London store signaled the company’s “long term ambitions” in the United Kingdom.
“For Amazon it’s an iterative development that extends its reach in grocery but I think Amazon is on a long journey in grocery here,” he added.
The store opened its doors at 7AM this morning, and will be open until 11PM, seven days a week. It covers 2,500 square feet making it a similar size to the company’s Amazon Go locations in the US, and a lot smaller than its first Amazon Go Grocery store. Additional stores are planned for the Greater London area, the company says.
This isn’t Amazon’s first effort in autonomous and cashier-less shopping. The company’s Amazon Go convenience stores use hundreds of cameras and proprietary AI technology to allow customers to walk in, grab a handful of items, and get an electronic receipt as they leave.
Amazon already operates 26 cashier-free convenience stores in the U.S. under the Amazon Go brand and two larger supermarkets called Amazon Go Grocery. As part of its U.K. launch, Amazon also unveiled its new private label food brand, by Amazon.
Amazon says its London store, whose existence in Ealing was spotted earlier this week, will stock a range of groceries, and fresh meals. There’ll also be hot food sold under the company’s own “by Amazon” label, which it says are prepared in store. The aim is to offer customers “everything they’d want from their local neighbourhood grocery store,” the company says.
Due to the pandemic, the company has a series of hygiene-focused measures in place at the store. Its maximum occupancy is limited to 20 to allow for social distancing, and there’s PPE and disposable gloves available at the store’s entrance.
