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UK-Based Grocer Co-op Expands Checkout-Free Trial To 30 Stores

Co-op, a network of more than 2,500 supermarkets and convenience stores in the UK, is extending its checkout-free, pay-in-aisle technology to 30 locations. Starting in August, consumers can use a mobile deviceto self-scan items as they shop in food stores across England, Scotland and Wales without needing to visit a checkout. The total amount is deducted from the shopper’s Apple or Google Pay account. 

The food cooperative noted that in-store cash and coin payments have dropped 10% in the last two years. The use of cards, contactless payments and other payment methods now accounts for more than 50% of transactions at Co-op.

Co-op first unveiled the in-store technology in early 2018. It sits alongside existing payment methods — including cashiers and self-scan checkout systems — to provide added choice, speed, ease and convenience, especially at busier times.

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“People lead busy lives, and shoppers value their time,” said Mark Pettigrew, Director of Retail Support, Co-op food, in a statement. “Whether it’s a train to catch or on the school run, this technology cuts queues and saves time. It can give our stores increased opportunity to replenish stock and increase product availability so we are at our best even at our busiest times, and enables customers to complete their shopping quickly and get on with the rest of their day and what matters most to them.”

The system also integrates the benefits of the Co-op Membership — where members receive a 5% reward on the purchase of own brand products, and the Co-op donates a further 1% to local causes.

The retailer uses ACI Worldwide’s Universal Payments (UP) Merchant Payments solution for its card processing operations and to secure payment data through Point-2-Point Encryption (P2PE).

In April, another major UK-based grocer, Sainsbury’s, launched a three-month trial of a cashierless checkout store in central London. As shoppers walk around the store, they scan the items they wish to buy, pay using an app and then scan a QR code to confirm that they have paid.

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