Supie looks to open high-tech, unmanned, 24/7 physical stores

Wednesday, 5 July 2023

Online food retailer Supie is looking to shake up the grocery industry once more – but this time through high-tech physical stores.

Supie launched in 2021 as an online alternative to supermarkets. It currently operates delivery services in Auckland, parts of Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Rotorua. Supie has 55,000 customers and about 130 staff.

Founder Sarah Balle said rather than going for the “big box” style of shop, it would be more high-tech, unmanned and community focused.

“We’re looking at doing high-tech, unmanned stores open 24/7,” she said.

Balle described the stores as being a “top-up shop”, which was easily accessible for people when they had run out of milk or needed a loaf of bread.

She said this was not usually the sort of shop done online.

The physical stores would be focused more on the regions, which Balle said were not being served well and were often limited to one supermarket option.

Balle said opening physical shops had “always been on our radar” as Supie tried to shake up the supermarket industry.

But it required a lot of time and investment, she said.

Balle confirmed the stores would not be opening this calendar year, but within the next 12 months.

The concept of unmanned stores has worked in small-town Sweden since 2020, when a container was set up in the middle of a field and is open 24 hours a day.

The 20m² supermarket in Veckholm sells hundreds of items and customers unlock the supermarket’s door with an app on their smartphones.

In Japan, a large chain convenience store is set to open 1000 unstaffed shops by the end of 2024 and will rely on artificial intelligence and sensors on shelves to track purchases.