Retail Business Services debuts lunchbox store concept

Ahold Delhaize USA’s Retail Business Services has introduced frictionless store technology, dubbed lunchbox and developed in collaboration with UST Global.

This is currently being piloted in Retail Business Services’ office in Quincy, Massachusetts, USA. Retail Business Services EVP, IT and CIO Paul Scorza, comments: “Once registered, shoppers simply scan in, shop and walk out. It’s that easy. And it offers fresh, healthy options 24/7. You can grab a snack, a salad, fresh fruit or even a carton of milk on your way home.”

“We believed in this concept so much we brought it to our own office. Our cafeteria that serves more than 1,000 associates was being remodelled and we were looking for a quick, cost-effective solution to give associates access to beverages, snacks and fresh items at a variety of hours.”

The application technology for lunchbox is powered by a Retail Business Services’ proprietary app. Services such as PayPal, Venmo, Apply Pay and Google Pay are integrated into the wallet. Inside the store, AI running on Intel Core i5 and i7 processors-based systems combined with the Intel Distribution of OpenVIN toolkit detects which products are being removed from shelves in the store and anonymous body skeletal tracking connects the right products to the right shopper.

The offering will be demoed at the National Retail Federation (NRF) Big Show in January.