The first checkout-free Amazon Fresh store opened in Britain today.
The store, which is located in Ealing, London, is the first Amazon Fresh store outside the U.S., and it uses the same technology that is used in Amazon Go stores. This includes the use of scales, shelf camera and sensors that track items when they are picked from the shelves.
While Amazon pioneered the checkout-free technology, other players in the U.K., such as Sainsbury’s and Tesco, have looked to replicate it. Sainsbury, for one, became the first super market in the U.K. to launch a checkout-free store in Holborn Circus, London, in April 2019.
“This is an experiment rather than a new format for us – it hasn’t been done in the U.K. before and we’re really excited to understand how our customers respond to the app experience,” Clodagh Moriarty, chief digital officer at the Sainsbury’s Group, said at the time of the launch.
Amazon is also planning to launch a “by Amazon” food brand, which will exclusively sell in Amazon Fresh stores, CNBC reported. This suggests that Amazon is not just testing the waters but has a serious interest in cutting itself a bigger share of the grocery industry in the U.K.
The opening of the store comes just as the U.K. is moving to lift its lockdown restrictions by June 21.
