Official launch in Berlin: REWE Pick&Go hybrid supermarket offering checkout-free payment officially opens to the public in the German capital

The REWE Pick&Go hybrid shopping concept is now also being launched in the German capital. At the REWE store at Schönhauser Allee 130, customers can now either pay for their purchases at the checkout as usual or using the innovative Pick&Go checkout-free process for even greater speed and convenience. With the arrival of Pick&Go in the capital, REWE is taking its pioneering role in the German food retail sector even further. A much wider product range as well as additional integrated services in the system landscape, such as a reverse vending machine and a fruit and vegetable weighing scale, provide even more convenience for everyday shopping. Federal Minister Dr Volker Wissing attended the opening of the Pick&Go concept in Berlin.

Sign in, shop and leave – with REWE Pick&Go, purchases are captured securely using state-of-the-art camera and sensor technology. Once customers leave the store, they are billed automatically without stopping to check out. The automatic checkout has been further developed following a successful trial at Germany’s pilot hybrid store in Cologne, and has now been launched in Germany’s trendy Prenzlauer Berg neighbourhood. At the REWE test store at Schönhauser Allee 130, shoppers can thus do a big family shop, grab a snack for break time or stock up on sundries quickly, conveniently and securely with, if they so choose, no queuing at the checkout.

Customers choose their preferred option

As in the pilot store in Cologne, customers of the REWE test store at Schönhauser Allee 130 can also choose between conventional shopping with payment at the checkout and fast, convenient Pick&Go shopping with automatic checkout. Should they opt for automatic checkout, customers first have to sign in at the entrance using REWE’s Pick&Go app. They can then take everything they need from the shelves, pack the items away and simply exit the store when they’ve finished shopping. The Pick&Go app automatically displays the bill straight away. If there are any discrepancies, it is just as easy for customers to report the issue via the Pick&Go app within 24 hours of their purchase. As always, in-store staff will be happy to answer individual questions and provide assistance. Group shops are also possible at the Berlin Pick&Go store. Families, friends or colleagues can thus pack items together in a relaxed manner and pay on one bill at the automatic checkout.

With this further integration of the Pick&Go system into a conventional store, REWE is staying true to its mission of making retail of the future a reality today. Christoph Eltze, Member of the REWE Group Management Board: “In recent years, the shopping behaviour of our customers has changed dramatically and become more individualised. As retailers, we have to respond flexibly to this, offering the appropriate services over the desired channels. This is why we have decided to make modern technologies like the Pick&Go system available in conventional, high-traffic supermarkets as an alternative, convenient payment option. REWE is a pioneer in Germany in this. The opening of the hybrid store in Prenzlauer Berg represents another important milestone on the journey towards a better shopping experience tomorrow.”

Large sales area, large assortment

Compared to the first nationwide “Pick&Go” store in Cologne, the assortment of the second hybrid Pick&Go store in Berlin Prenzlauer Berg includes a significantly larger range of around 9,500 items on a sales area of about 380 square metres. Fresh baked goods, fruit and vegetables, a comprehensive dry goods assortment, frozen products, beverages and household goods can be easily purchased here via “Pick&Go”.

Customers can weigh out fruit and vegetables in the new Berlin “Pick&Go” market. The weighed products are automatically assigned to the “Pick&Go” purchase. This further development will also be introduced in parallel in the premiere store in Cologne. This expands the service offer for fresh fruit and vegetable products at the two “Pick&Go” locations. In addition, a reverse vending machine has been integrated into the “Pick&Go” system landscape for the first time in Berlin, making it easier to return empties. Another new feature at both locations is the Paypal payment option. To do this, the Paypal details are simply stored in the customer account in the app as usual.

Safe shopping with data protection in mind

Data protection was and is a central aspect in the development and operation of the system: the images captured from customers are processed sparingly and are used exclusively to enable checkout-free shopping in a hybrid market. The system only collects data to recognise which products are taken or put back. There is no facial recognition, nor can the system recognise customers after a visit to the store. Throughout Europe, the “REWE Pick&Go” stores in Cologne and Berlin are among the first supermarkets to enable hybrid shopping in this way for customers under real conditions.

International technology partnership

REWE is working with Trigo Vision Ltd, a company specialising in computer vision technology, on this project. Trigo’s solution creates a 3D model of a supermarket to digitally map the environment and movements within, allowing customers to select items and walk out with them while protecting their privacy.