Sainsbury’s launches UK’s first till-free grocery store

Sainsbury’s has launched the UK’s first till-free grocery store at Holborn Circus.

The store has been refurbished to remove the checkout area and tills with customer feedback from the experiment helping Sainsbury’s further develop its SmartShop Scan, Pay and Go app before being rolled out more widely.

All customers will scan and pay for their groceries using the SmartShop Scan, Pay and Go app which they download on their smartphone. They 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.

Sainsbury’s said the store will have a helpdesk to support anyone who wishes to pay with cash or cards adding that it chose its Holborn outlet as currently 82% of transactions in the London convenience store are cashless.

The experiment will last for three months during which Sainsbury’s said it will “listen closely” to customer and colleague feedback.

Sainsbury’s group chief digital officer, Clodagh Moriarty, said: “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.”