A brand new Little Fresh store has opened at the new Stevenage Electric Forecourt® from GRIDSERVE. Powered by Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, visitors can use shop seamlessly while their vehicles charge.
Visitors to the Stevenage Electric Forecourt® Little Fresh store simply tap their contactless payment card or smartphone wallet upon store entry and grab what they need. The technology detects what the shopper takes from, or returns to, store shelves and creates a virtual shopping cart. When the customer completes the shopping experience, they can leave the store without waiting in line, and their choice of payment method will be charged for the items. Receipts can be easily obtained by a simple sign-up option or online.
Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology is made possible by a combination of generative artificial intelligence, computer vision and deep-learning techniques to accurately determine who took what in any retail environment. Amazon built synthetic datasets to mimic millions of realistic shopping scenarios—including variations in store format, lighting conditions, and even crowds of shoppers—to ensure accuracy in any environment.
The Stevenage Electric Forecourt® is the fourth Electric Forecourt® from GRIDSERVE and can be found at Junction 7 of the A1(M) on the Knebworth Estate in Stevenage.
The new Electric Forecourt® is one of the most advanced EV charging facilities in the world, hosting 30 EV charging bays, including 24 High Power bays with up to 360kW of power – some of the fastest chargers publicly available today, capable of adding up to 100 miles of range in ten minutes. All 30 EV charging bays will be supplied by 100% net zero energy. There are also 4 Tesla Superchargers onsite. The new chargers increase charging in the Stevenage area by 34%* and are accessible to all EV drivers including motorway users, visitors to Knebworth Estate and the local community.
Electric Forecourt® customers can enjoy a variety of refreshments from Costa Coffee or relax and recharge in the lounge area. For those wanting to learn more about electric vehicles, there is the interactive EV experience area along with impartial advice from GRIDSERVE Gurus.
Rebecca Trebble, Chief Product Officer at GRIDSERVE, said: “At the Stevenage Electric Forecourt®, we aim to deliver the best service, not just with charging but the whole experience. Little Fresh powered by Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology delivers a seamless retail experience which has been popular at our London Gatwick Electric Forecourt®. Along with our Costa Coffee and state-of-the-art chargers, the Stevenage Electric Forecourt® is a must-visit location for all drivers.”
Kash Khera, Managing Director at SimplyFresh, said: “Simply Fresh has always been at the cutting edge of convenience retail, and our second collaboration with Amazon and GRIDSERVE solidifies this commitment. Little Fresh, powered by Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, is designed to provide an effortless and quick shopping experience that perfectly complements the state-of-the-art EV charging facilities at the Stevenage Electric Forecourt. With Stevenage, we’re excited to lead the evolution of convenience shopping, making it faster and more intuitive than ever, this is more than a store; it’s a glimpse into the future of retail.”
The building is open from 7am to 9pm, 7 days a week with GRIDSERVE Gurus onsite during this time. The chargers are available 24/7, all year round.
GRIDSERVE now has over 190 locations with over 1,400 charging bays.
ENDS
*Based on data from https://maps.dft.gov.uk/ev-charging-map/index.html
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