Auchan Hungary Opens an Unstaffed Smart Store

Auchan Hungary is opening a new, innovative retail unit in the capital, the essence of which is that customers can enter the store, shop and pay at any time with the help of an application, the retailer informed MTI on Wednesday.

The new store format will be of 18 square meters, open 24 hours a day. The unstaffed store will operate with an AI-based camera system and a weight-sensing shelving system, in compliance with GDPR rules. Alcohol and other age-restricted goods will not be sold, while Auchan's own-brand products will be available, the company said.

The smart store will be located at the corner of Bártfai utca and Vahot utca in District 11 of Budapest. Landscaping has already begun, and in addition to the construction of the store, the company will also plant trees and shrubs in its immediate vicinity and renovate the pavement.

Auchan Go will operate with the support of a nearby Auchan hypermarket in and is expected to open at the end of February.

The statement quotes Attila Nagy, sales director of Auchan Hungary, as saying that the new store format will be tested in several locations. In the second phase of the concept, the new store will be expanded with an e-com point of sale under the multi-channel model.