Smark and Deutsche Bahn open 24-hour supermarket

The store does not rely on staff, a robot processes the orders.

The Stuttgart-based start-up Smark is opening the first 24-hour supermarket without staff in Germany together with Deutsche Bahn. The store is to be located at Renningen station in Baden-Württemberg. Initially, 300 products will be available, but in the long term, the number is expected to rise to almost 800. In addition to Smark, Edeka Südwest is also involved in the project.

Customers will be able to put together their purchases via smartphone or at the vending machine, and a robot will then search for the products. Renningen station is one of the so-called stations of the future at which the railway wants to try out new concepts.

Smark, founded in 2016, says it is working on the "Supermarket 4.0". At the Stuttgart station, the company had already tested the SmarkBox in the past. Food was also available at the pick-up station, including regional specialities such as Maultaschen.