Kiwi startup Imagr lands in Amsterdam and eyes European opportunities
Autonomous checkout venture Imagr has announced its expansion into the European retail market with a new office in Amsterdam set to open in April.
The New Zealand-based and headquartered company has another office in Osaka, Japan, where it went live with what is pitched as the largest AI checkout deployment of its kind in the world, covering 9,000 square feet and including more than 8,000 SKUs.
William Chomley, Founder and CEO, Imagr, which says that it has recently finalised deals with two European retailers, comments: “Europe and the UK both have highly competitive grocery markets where outlets need to differentiate themselves from the pack or face losing market share.”
“Having boots on the ground is the best way for us to reach these potential customers and support demand.”
He adds: “With Amazon Go (Amazon Fresh) recently entering the UK, with two stores already open, European grocery retailers are going to need to act fast to keep up with the changing landscape.”
“The Imagr system is white label, so retailers can own it, brand it and scale it themselves. We enable retailers to offer a superior customer experience and automate the checkout”
“As consumers shop more frequently for fewer items, the thought of waiting in long queues can deter people from using a particular supermarket chain. Imagr removes that pressure point and provides a point of difference for customers.”
Pop-ups
The new European team will be hosting a series of pop-up activations from June.
Starting in the UK and moving throughout Europe, this will give retailers an opportunity to see a full system demonstration.