Checkout free stores demonstrate good technology but bad value equation as Amazon and Aldi exit UK

In September of last year, we reported that Amazon was binning its ambitious Amazon Fresh experiment in the UK, just four years after the US online giant launched its first grocery store in London.

It has shuttered its 19 Fresh stores, with plans to convert five of these into Whole Foods Market locations. The first one opened in the UK during 2021 in Ealing, west London, powered by Just Walk Out technology.

Soon afterwards, Aldi UK announced it was ending its its checkout-free stores trial and converting its only Shop & Go location to a standard Aldi Local with self-service.

The store in Greenwich, South East London went live in 2022 at a time when checkout-free stores were being touted by many industry observers as the next big thing in retail. But the technology never really took off in the UK.

An Aldi spokesperson said: “Whilst our Shop & Go trial has now come to an end as planned, our Greenwich High Road store will remain open as an Aldi Local, ensuring customers can still get everything they need at unbeatable Aldi prices.”

Customers didn't ask for this

We at RTIH have been covering the retail sector for enough years to recognise the pattern. A shiny new technology emerges, gets hyped to the heavens, those responsible promise it will revolutionise everything, and then reality bites.

Remember the metaverse? NFTs? The promised land of cryptocurrencies? Each one was going to transform retail forever. Each one ran headlong into the brick wall of consumer indifference or, worse, the brutal maths of ROI.

In a LinkedIn post, Stuart Eames, Head of Product, Store Payment and Infrastructure at M&S, said: "I remember being asked so many times: What are we doing in this space? How fast can we move? What needs to be true for this to work? I still have the decks - the analysis of every live store, the investment cases, the vendor pitches from companies (many now gone) who insisted this was the future.”

Eames, who has also worked at NCR Corporation and John Lewis Parnership, said: "The reality is simple: customers drive meaningful change, and no customer ever asked for this. When Amazon - with the deepest pockets in the game - started pulling back, it became clear the model was incredibly expensive and operationally tough to scale long‑term."

"Sainsbury’s exited quickly. Aldi Greenwich, in my view, had the strongest setup: a full‑size store, car park, and the ability to handle bigger baskets, not just convenience missions. And yet, even they’ve stepped away. That leaves Tesco with five UK stores still running the concept. The real question now is whether it’s future‑proof for them - or whether the economics make it too costly to continue."

"Sometimes innovation doesn’t fail because the tech is bad, but because the value equation just isn’t there for customers or retailers."

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Physical stores will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.