Poland’s Żabka Leads Europe’s Autonomous Store Race
Żabka, the largest convenience store chain in Poland, says it now has the largest chain of autonomous stores in Europe.
The company announced that milestone in a news release Tuesday (Jan. 18), saying it had launched 25 artificial intelligence (AI)-powered stores under the Żabka Nano brand. That’s 10 more than the 15 “Just Walk Out” style stores Amazon has opened in the U.K.
“The innovative concept enables quick shopping without checkout clerks, queues or cash to sell products precisely matched to location and customer demographics,” the company said in the release.
“The stores operate in several formats such as standalone shipping container-inspired stores, traditional brick-and-mortar and store-within-a-store points of sale; each leveraging AI-powered computer vision technology created through close cooperation with American technology company AiFi.”
The first Żabka Nano store opened in June of last year. Tomasz Suchański, CEO of Żabka Group, said the company plans to launch a dozen additional stores this year. The chain says its stores are found in a variety of locations, including city centers, train and subway stations, universities and large-format stores.
“We are constantly working to develop and improve the unique concept of Żabka Nano,” Tomasz Blicharski, managing director of Żabka Future, said in the release. “We focus on its flexibility — we are able to open more autonomous outlets both in highly trafficked locations, such as strict city centers or underground stations, as well as in large-format stores. We are also one of the first in the world to develop a concept that allows you to enter the store using a payment card.”
Last November, the U.K. grocery chain Sainsbury’s became the first store outside of the U.S. to use Amazon’s white-labeled Just Walk Out technology.
See also: Amazon Invites Sainsbury Shoppers to ‘Just Walk Out’
These stores let shoppers scan their smartphones as they enter the markets, as security cameras monitor what they take from the shelves. Charges are then issued to a customer’s predetermined payment method on the way out.