Autonomous market goes live at Co-op Live arena powered by AiFi and Boxbar Tech solutions

Co-op Live, an indoor arena in Manchester, England, sited in the Etihad Campus next to the City of Manchester Stadium, has launched an autonomous market powered by AiFi’s spatial intelligence platform and Boxbar Tech’s self-serve beverage technology.

Built in partnership with Oak View Group (OVG), this has been engineered to maximise speed, throughput and convenience during peak event times. Located in Vertu Place on Level 00 inside Co-op Live, it features four entry gates and a frictionless checkout experience.

Pitched as Europe’s first fully frictionless, autonomous self-serve market, the location allows people to tap their card to enter, grab hot food, grab-and-go items and draught drinks from Boxbar Tech’s automated self-serve bar installation. There are queues, no tills, and no waiting.

Michalis Fragkiadakis, SVP of Hospitality Strategy, OVG International, says: “Co-op Live was designed to lead the way in how a modern arena can operate, and this new autonomous market is a powerful example of that ambition in action.”

“By integrating AiFi and Boxbar Tech’s technologies, we’re delivering a food and beverage experience that is faster, smarter and far more seamless for fans. It reflects Oak View Group’s commitment to redefining the standards of venue hospitality across all of our properties, and we’re proud to see Co-op Live setting the benchmark for what the future of service can look like.”

João Diogo Falcão, CEO at AiFi, says: "This collaboration is about building the foundation for how large-scale environments operate when physical spaces become fully digitised. AiFi’s spatial intelligence enables partners like Boxbar and OVG to deploy experiences that are consistent, scalable, and responsive to real-world behavior. Together, we’re laying the groundwork for a new model of venue operations that can extend across cities, regions, and global portfolios.”

Reshad Hossenally, Co-Founder and CEO at Boxbar Tech, comments: “Bar service at major arenas and venues has long needed innovation and whilst customers crave speed and convenience, we believe they shouldn’t have to compromise on the quality of what’s in their cup.”

“We’re so proud to be working alongside OVG, the team at Co-op Live and AiFi to bring this experience to life. Delivering high quality draught beverages in a fully frictionless, self-serve format like this is right at the cutting edge of venue hospitality. It’s a glimpse of what the future of venues can look like and we’re proud Boxbar Tech is at the forefront of these developments.”

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Automation 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 Thursday, 15th October.

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.