Autonomo opens its first cashierless supermarket

The start-up wants to design stores autonomously. It is headed by the former head of Real.

Autonomo, a start-up founded in 2021, has opened its first checkout-free and probably autonomous supermarket in Hamburg. The store has been named "Hoody," which is said to be based on the English word "Neigbourhood." In this supermarket now, customers identify themselves at the beginning and then simply store. Artificial intelligence and various cameras are supposed to assign the purchases to the person doing the shopping. Billing then takes place automatically when the customer leaves the store. The start-up claims that cashiers are then no longer necessary.

The company is not alone with its idea, but it is with its implementation. While large retail chains tend to see such store solutions as pilot projects in which customers still have to scan parts, the team led by founder Patrick Müller-Sarmiento is focusing on a complete solution that, in the best case scenario, customers should not even notice. The technology is not intended to replace people entirely. The staff will continue to be available for advice, but no longer for checkout.

In addition to the Hamburg store, the start-up of Roland Berger consultant Patrick Müller-Sarmiento wants to open further stores throughout Germany. In 2023, it should then even go abroad. "Our ambition was to create the simplest and most compelling shopping experience. And I think that's exactly what we've achieved: we've created a store that is new and innovative, but at the same time feels familiar in a special way," says Patrick Müller-Sarmiento.