Russia gets first unmanned Amazon Go-variant

The first fully automated Pyaterochka store by X5 Retail Group opens in Moscow.

X5 Retail Group, the largest food retailer in Russia in terms of revenue, announced the opening in Moscow of the first fully automated Pyaterochka store in Russia. The store aimed at the new generation of consumers focusing on contactless shopping for food and everyday products. 

The retail space is located in the Russian capital center at 2 Velasquez Boulevard. According to the company’s press service, based on testing the work of the first store of the new format, X5 Retail Group will decide on the possible expansion of the network “Pyaterochka #onthefly.” 

The only way you can get to the store is with a particular mobile application, which generates a dynamic QR code for the client. A limited range of the most popular goods is performed in the trading hall with about 900 items, including freshly brewed coffee and products of the fresh section.

The store operates daily from 7 a.m. until midnight. You can pay for your purchases through the mobile app “Five on the fly” using Apple Pay, Google Pay, or a bank card. Alternatively, you can use the traditional self-service cash register. 

“The store operates on the principle of a “smart home”: based on the architecture of IoT (Internet of Things) there is a system of special sensors that can control the entrance, exit, and find customers in the facility, lighting, and provide physical security,” – commented in the press service of the company, noting that the project is especially in demand among the millenniums and generation Z, who prefer new technologies and online formats.