First Hybrid Smart Store in Hungary Opens

Coop in Szeged, Szent István Square, is now offering traditional service during the day and fully automated, unmanned service outside normal opening hours. The first hybrid smart store in the country has thus opened in the southern Hungarian city.

János Kelemen, President and CEO of Coop Szeged Zrt., recalled at the opening ceremony on Thursday that they started planning the renovation of the store, which has been operating for decades, looking for a cost-effective solution to extend the opening hours of the store.

The 150 square meters of retail space in the store will provide customers with 4,000 items.

The advantage of the system, developed with the company’s partner Laurel, is that unlike other technologies, customers can choose from the full range of products after normal opening hours, rather than just a small selection,

said the CEO.

In the unmanned mode, the store can be used with a phone app. After registering, customers can use the QR code to open the store’s entrance and then enter the sales area, which is monitored by a camera system. As in traditional shops, they can choose the products they want to buy and then use the QR code to start the checkout. At the self-service checkouts, they can pay with a credit card and then open the shop door by scanning the code again. The CEO added that they could also offer the possibility to pay cash if the legislation requires it later.

Kelemen stressed that the camera-assisted security system does not use facial recognition solutions, but only detects suspicious gestures. Also, customers can get immediate help from the one-touch dispatch service.

Purchasing and operation are supported by IT solutions. A scale recognizes the type of fruit and vegetables being loaded, and automated solutions speed up the ordering process. A logistics system has also been developed to ensure that customers can always find fresh bakery products at night,” the general manager said.

János Kelemen explained that if the solution is well received by customers, they would like to introduce it in more of their stores.

In addition, there are some settlements where, due to the lower population, the longer opening hours provided by such a hybrid system could offer the possibility of a more sustainable operation of the store,

he explained.

István Bessenyei, owner of Laurel, a provider of IT solutions for its retail partners, said the system to run the automated store was developed over two years. The system is scalable to larger stores and can be installed in up to 2-8 interconnectable containers, making it extremely quick to set up a store, he noted.