Let-Køb opens first unmanned store in Denmark
Dagrofa inaugurated the first location to implement frictionless technology in the country and has plans to open three more in the near future.
The Dagrofa Food Group has opened Denmark's first unmanned store with its latest Let-Køb location in the heart of Frederiksberg. Customers will now have quick and easy access to a wide range of groceries by scanning a QR code at the entrance, logging in with their NemID or MitID and then paying by credit card or mobile before leaving.
The owner of the chain, which also operates the Meny, Spar and Min Købmand brands, is planning on expanding the concept with three new openings in the near future. One is scheduled to open on 19 August in Demstrup, while the remaining two are to be located in Fåborg and at the Fehmarnbelt and are expected to open in late summer.
“The unmanned concept can be seen as a kind of extension to the local grocer's conventional store, because it comes with great flexibility. For example, with the addition of an unmanned shop, the grocer can offer the most important groceries outside normal opening hours. It also means that Let-Køb stores located in holiday areas, where the store is closed or has restricted opening hours part of the year, can extend their opening hours out of season," said Kasper Qvist Rasmussen, Chain Manager for Let-Køb.
Dagrofa will now focus on testing and further developing the unmanned concept, originally developed and refined by Retail360 CEO Mads Laursen and his partner Michael Hansen. The four unmanned stores will be run by the firm's merchants in the local area, who will regularly deliver goods to the stores, restock the shelves and adapt the assortment to the local area.
The unmanned concept does not require much space and can be implemented in just 28 sqm, either in an existing room or in an approximately 40 foot box, which can easily be placed in, for example, parking lots or in the city without inconveniencing others. Access is only possible by creating a NemID or MitID, which also ensures that no one under 16 can gain access.
