Majid Al Futtaim – the leading shopping mall, communities, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East, Africa and Asia – is setting new precedents for retail with the launch of the region’s first check-out free store, Carrefour City+. Opened today in Mall of the Emirates, the new convenience store provides a fast, seamless and contactless experience using cutting-edge, artificial intelligence technology. Customers use their phones to access the store, pick their desired items and simply walk out without having to queue and pay at the cash register.
Carrefour City+ was inaugurated by H.E Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications along with Alain Bejjani, Chief Executive Officer of Majid Al Futtaim Holding and Hani Weiss, Chief Executive Officer at Majid Al Futtaim Retail.
Store access and shopping payment is enabled via the current MAF Carrefour App. Once inside Carrefour City+, every item picked up by customers will then be automatically added to a digital shopping basket and the purchase will be completed by simply walking out. Not only is the shopping journey faster, but also completely contactless, with no store staff interaction necessary.
“Carrefour City+ has been designed to make life easier by using technology to remove friction and enhance the retail experience,” revealed Hani Weiss, Chief Executive Officer at Majid Al Futtaim Retail. “The store represents a huge leap forwards for retail in the UAE and region as Carrefour continues to innovate to meet the needs of the present whilst anticipating future shopping trends.”
A first for Carrefour worldwide, City+ deploys artificial intelligence and state of the art technology to identify thousands of products with pinpoint accuracy, improving inventory management and simplifying shopping for customers. Carrefour City+ stocks over 1,300 items including snacks, beverages, packaged food and food-to-go meals as well as basic essentials. It can easily be found near the entrance of the Mall of the Emirates Metro Station link for anyone wishing to try the world’s most advanced, ‘simply walk out’ shopping technology.
Carrefour City+ is a prime example of the role of the private sector in supporting the UAE’s Fourth Industrial Revolution Strategy to become a leading global hub and an open lab for the Fourth Industrial revolution’s application. It is also in line with the UAE Artificial Intelligence Strategy that aims to make the UAE the first in the field of AI investments and applications in various sectors. Having established a reputation for innovation, modernity and technology, this retail revelation from Majid Al Futtaim contributes to the UAE’s transformation into an international technology hub as the government takes concrete steps towards establishing a strong, digitally enabled economy.