By Angela Green, Content Executive: BaxterStorey opens new store powered by Amazon’s Just Walk Out AI technology.
Catering News is sponsored by Two Services
BaxterStorey is opening a new micro supermarket that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to create a checkout-free experience at Amazon’s London headquarters in Shoreditch – the first time the technology is being used by a hospitality business in the UK.
The opening of the BaxterStorey-operated shop, called Social Bee, on the 21 March, will mark the debut of Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology within the workplace in the UK.
Customers enter the store by using their credit card. They can then grab what they need and leave the store without having to wait in line to checkout. The payment method used to enter the store will be charged only for the items they left the store with, eliminating queues and offering a frictionless shopping experience.
Just Walk Out technology is made possible by artificial intelligence like computer vision and deep learning techniques, including generative AI, to accurately determine who took what in any retail environment. Amazon built synthetic datasets to mimic millions of realistic shopping scenarios—including variations in store format, lighting conditions, and even crowds of shoppers—to ensure accuracy in any environment.
Items available at Social Bee will include grab-and-go products and ready meals freshly prepared on site by BaxterStorey’s chef team. The store will also enable visitors to purchase grocery items ranging from milk and bread to washing tablets.
Rob Brown, head of IT at BaxterStorey, said: “We’re so excited to be launching this industry-first, checkout-free store at Amazon’s Shoreditch headquarters. We see this as the next stage in the evolution of their workplace hospitality experience.”
Jon Jenkins, vice president of Physical Stores, Just Walk Out said: “We’re excited to bring our Just Walk Out technology to our London employees so they can experience a frictionless shopping experience while going about their work day inventing for our customers.”
Since 2017, BaxterStorey has overseen the catering offer at Amazon’s London headquarters, with two retail outlets, a hospitality offering, and a growing events business.
Catering News is sponsored by Two Services
