unity place jwo

Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology has been adopted by a supermarket at Milton Keynes’ new “landmark visitor destination” Unity Place.

The supermarket – called The Corner Store – sees customers scan their credit card or mobile wallet at an entry gate, before taking items from shelves and leaving.

The shop offers “an extensive retail selection, with something for everyone” including hot beverages, nutritious grab-and-go meals, sweet and savoury bakery items, salads, sandwiches, and a wall of fridges stocked with soft drinks and fruit juices. It also sells snacks, medical supplies and toiletries as well as reading glasses and umbrellas.

“We are constantly looking at ways to further enhance our customer journey and through the launch of The Corner Store, we can now provide a faster and more seamless experience using proven, secure technology,” said Kenneth Leamy, head of digital and technology at Restaurant Associates, which runs all food and beverage outlets at Unity Place.

“Shopping at the store is designed to be an effortless experience, speeding up the customer journey by allowing visitors to purchase items without queuing to pay,” he added.

Just Walk Out technology has already been rolled out in several venues, including The SSE Arena in Belfast, TD Garden in Boston, Lumen Field in Seattle, and Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. In May last year, a convenience store at the Excel centre – Market Express – adopted the technology, making it the first UK venue to offer it.

As well as in its own Amazon Fresh stores, Amazon’s checkout-free shopping technology has been adopted by several retailers, including Sainsbury’s, which launched a Just Walk Out-powered store called SmartShop Pick & Go in Holborn, London in late 2021.

WH Smith also uses Amazon’s technology, launching a checkout-free store at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport early last year.

Unity Place fully opened earlier this year. Situated directly opposite MK Station Square, the multi-purpose venue features a food market comprising multiple street food vendors, cafés, a rooftop terrace bar Unity Sky Lounge, and celebrity chef Dipna Anand’s restaurant.

The site also features a barber shop, retail stores and 60,000 sq ft of co-working office space.