Having built the largest network of autonomous, or cashierless, stores in Europe, Polish convenience store chain Żabka has set its sights on this year becoming the biggest operator in the world by overtaking current leader Amazon.
Since opening its first cashierless “Nano” store in June 2021 in Poznań, Żabka has rolled out over 50 more. That puts it close to the around 70 Amazon Go stores set up by the US giant, Żabka Group’s executive vice president Tomasz Blicharski told retail news service Wiadomości Handlowe.
“We want to be the biggest in the world, we want to beat Amazon,” he said. “This is our goal for this year.”
Żabka Nano stores have popped up in offices, sports clubs and also within larger stores, including those of sporting goods retailer Decathlon and home improvement giant Leroy Merlin. Last year, one was pictured at a Tesla factory in Berlin, though Żabka later said it was just part of a pilot programme.
@jchybow @KenTrinhCodes @TeslaPodcast @TeslaAIBot @ZabkaPolska #żabka#tesla #GigaBerlin
I was surprised to notice that the Polish chain of Żabka stores opened its super modern, maintenance-free store in Tesla Gigafactory Berlin. I shop there every day 🐸 pic.twitter.com/af0cY4pCf7— DogeCola_Cyber (@DogeCola_Cyber) August 13, 2022
Customers can only enter the stores once they have inserted their payment card or scanned the QR code on the Żabka application on a terminal at the entrance. Customers visiting for the first time must provide a phone number, to which they will receive a text message confirming their access to the store.
Once inside, customers can take whichever products they want from the shelves and then leave. A camera system recognises the products taken and the appropriate amount is then automatically charged to their card. The camera system does not identify customers nor does it store their images.
The shops use technology developed in collaboration with US firm AiFi and utilise the Microsoft Azure platform.
In January 2022, German retailer Aldi opened an autonomous store in London called Aldi Shop & Go using AiFi technology. French supermarket giant Carrefour also partnered with AiFi with the opening of their autonomous store called Carrefour Flash 10/10 in Paris.
In Poland, another large retailer chain, Lewiatan, in 2020 launched its first self-service store. The firm intended the system in part as a way to get around the country’s Sunday trading ban, which began to be rolled out in 2018.
Żabka itself has often faced criticism for pioneering ways to evade the Sunday trading ban, including by exploiting a loophole (now closed) that exempted stores which offer postal services.
Main image credit: Żabka
Anna Hackett is an assistant editor at Notes from Poland. She is a recent graduate of European Studies from Trinity College Dublin and has had previous journalistic experience with the Irish Independent News & Media group.
