Another unstaffed 24/7 smart shop may open in 2025 in Szeged
Change language:
Szeged may see Hungary’s second unstaffed 24/7 smart shop in 2025 if Coop can carry out its plans, János Kelemen, the CEO and President of the company, told Délmagyar. The first unstaffed Hungarian grocery store opened at the Fény utca market and is run by the Hungarian Charity Service of the Order of Malta. Therefore, it does not generate a profit. Consequently, the Szeged grocery store can become Hungary’s first profitable unstaffed shop.
Unstaffed 24/7 smart shop may open in 2025
According to Telex, the Coop unit in Szeged’s Szent István Square can become Hungary’s second unstaffed grocery store, which may be ready in 2025. The store has been revamped, and after its reopening, customers noticed that traditional cashier’s desks have been removed to give space for self-service desks. For now, those are staffed so customers can pay there just like they usually do. However, that may change soon.
János Kelemen, the CEO and President of Coop said that they would like to open the first unstaffed Coop unit by early 2025 in Szeged. Sharing more details on the issue would be unresponsible, he added.
Telex wrote that the unstaffed Coop grocery stores could be open 24/7, but the company did not share any information concerning the exact technology they would operate.
In the Czech Republic, the first unstaffed Coop units were opened in 2022. Customers can shop there with a face-recognising app and cannot pay with cash. However, the system allows you to shop even on Sunday night or early morning on Friday since they are always open.
Lukáš Němčík said that 24/7 unstaffed grocery stores are especially popular in rural areas because they allow locals to purchase the essentials without driving to a supermarket. In case of emergency, customers can call the remote security officer.
