The Okay Direct stores are open 24 hours a day and operate automatically, without cashiers. The products are in cabinets that open with a QR code. The technology detects what is taken out. After payment, the customer can go outside with the QR code.
Colruyt opened its first automatic store at the end of 2021, in the center of Ghent. The group has already announced that it wants to open more branches in the short term. A second branch will therefore open in the Pajottenland, in Lennik, from 1 February. The OKay Direct will be located in the parking lot of an existing OKay store. The automatic shop is housed in a converted high-tech container. There is a limited range of about 200 products, with a focus on “fresh, on-the-go and quick meal solutions”, it sounds.
The group wants to expand OKay Direct within the cities, but it also sounds like it wants to explore other avenues.
LOOK. This is OKay Direct’s first unmanned supermarket