FMJ Facilities Management magazine providing industry-specific intelligence to FM and property professionals
BaxterStorey has opened a new store powered by Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology.
The new micro supermarket that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to create a checkout-free experience is at Amazon’s London headquarters in Shoreditch.
The BaxterStorey-operated shop, called Social Bee, which opened yesterday, marks 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.”
BaxterStorey has overseen the catering offer at Amazon’s London headquarters since 2017 with two retail outlets, a hospitality offering, and a growing events business.
With the current economic crisis resulting in higher prices and more of a squeeze on resources, FMs need to ensure that they have robust building and maintenance services in place to control costs and reduce the need for emergency repairs. When it comes to drainage and plumbing there are also the challenges of dealing with extreme weather, from droughts to flooding, the need to meet stringent regulations and to avoid causing environmental damage.
UK drainage specialist, Metro Rod, has launched a survey which explores the main areas of interest for FMs in maintaining drainage and plumbing, including how they currently assess their supply chains to ensure they’re working with partners that meet the highest possible standards and provide value for money.
The results will be published online so that you can see how you compare to others within the sector.
The survey should take just 5-10 minutes of your time, and as a thank you, you will be entered into a prize draw, where one lucky winner will be picked at random to receive a £100 Amazon voucher.
To take part click here.
