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The first store of the future without staff will open in February in Strakonice, South Bohemia. More will follow. The second store will be in Český Krumlov.
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Any further development depends on the success of the first stores. We have no reference framework for how the service will be received, because there is nothing similar in the Czech Republic.
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“The word self-service is gaining new content with us. The concept of an automatic store adapts to the needs of customers, for whom the need to plan their purchases according to the opening hours of stores ends, “said Lukáš Němčík, Marketing Director, about the planned opening of the store.
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In the first half of 2022, the company wants to open two or three such stores. “Any further development depends on the success of the first stores. We have no reference framework for how the service will be received, because there is nothing similar in the Czech Republic, “he added.
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The new concept targets small and medium-sized cities. The largest domestic group of cooperative stores sees several benefits in it. The first is the complete freedom of the customer. The problem with many rural shops is that people returning from work in larger cities when the shops in their place of residence are already closed. The group also wants to use a new format to address younger students who have no problem working with technology.
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Another advantage, according to COOP, is lower operating costs. Stores save on staff. In the shortened standard opening hours, the store cannot do without it, but it will suffice with a smaller number of employees who will perform several tasks: for example, filling the shelves with goods and selling them at the cash register.
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COOP
COOP, Jednota or Konzum is a designation for consumer cooperatives of the COOP group in the Czech Republic. They operate mainly retail stores of food and other consumer goods in almost the entire territory of the Czech Republic. The COOP Group operates several store chains under different names.
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Fully automatic, unattended stores will be an alternative that the company will consider when considering expansion. The technology can be built into a sea container, for example.
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“Initially, we also count on the staff so that seniors have the opportunity to contact them. He will explain the novelty to them, “said Němčík.
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Outside opening hours, the store will be completely unattended. Only counter sales of delicacies that will be cut in advance will be unavailable. Thanks to non-stop operation, the cooperative network expects higher spending in these stores.
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The cost of modernizing the pilot store in Strakonice reached one million crowns, half of which cost the company, which inspired the sister chains in Scandinavia.
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The store will open a bank identity
Entry into the store will be subject to double identification of the customer, who must have a bank identity and also a special application on the mobile phone. The door is opened with a payment card, just like at some bank branches. The application is mainly used to pair the customer with the purchasing system. Extra space is guarded by cameras.
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According to Interior Ministry statistics from December 2021, more than 5.5 million people can use the banking identity so far. It has so far been used for remote identification in more than 4.4 million cases. This includes the re-use of a single identity. Not everyone who can use a bank identity has used it so far.
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Other technologies that the new stores are equipped with are self-service cash registers, which unlock the exit for customers after payment.
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When paying at self-service checkouts, Czech shops sometimes have a problem in practice and require assistance. One of the potential collisions – the sale of alcohol to children and adolescents – is broken down by the bank identity, which guarantees the age of 18.
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Němčík did not rule out other possible problems with payment at first, but according to him, the system will gradually be fine-tuned. Staff equipped with remote access to manage the system, including the cash register, should solve the problems of customers who will not be able to pay for the purchase at night.
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