UK supermarket chain Sainsbury's is abolishing the cash register with its first mobile scan and go outlet in London's Holborn Circus.
The Holborn Circus till-free store experiment builds on Sainsbury’s SmartShop Scan, Pay & Go app. Using the app, customers scan their groceries as they go round the store, pay in the app and scan a QR code before leaving which reassures them that they have paid, with no need to queue or pay at a till.
The system is already live in eight convenience stores across London, but this is the first time Sainsbury's has extended the programme to go cash and card-free, with the Holborn outlet completely refurbished to remove the checkout area and tills.
The store will have a helpdesk to support anyone who wishes to pay with cash or cards says the company, adding that 82% of transactions in this outlet are already cashless.
Sainsbury’s group chief digital officer, Clodagh Moriarty, says: “We know our customers value their time and many want to shop as quickly as possible - technology is key to that. This is an experiment rather than a new format for us - it hasn’t been done in the UK before and we’re really excited to understand how our customers respond to the app experience. We’ll be with our customers and colleagues all the way over the coming months, iterating continuously based on their feedback before we decide if, how and where we make this experience more widely available.”