Dubai is always pushing the boundaries when it comes to delivering unique shopping experiences, and a new store in Mall of the Emirates is certainly living up to this reputation. Carrefour City+, launched by Majid Al Futtaim on Monday, is the first cashier-free store in the region.
The store has no checkout counters. Instead, customers use their phones to access the store, and once they pick up what they’re looking for, they can leave. No staff interaction, no queues and no awkward digging around for coins in wallets and purses required.
Payment for the products is done through the MAF Carrefour app, which customers will have to download before they enter. Every item picked up by the store is then automatically added to a digital shopping basket, and the purchase is completed simply by walking out.
You can view the shopping process through this video below.
The store currently stocks more than 1,300 items such as snacks, beverages, packaged food and food-to-go meals, as well as essentials.
How does Carrefour City+ work?
Carrefour City+ uses a series of cameras that are powered by a combination of computer vision and machine learning to follow a shopper’s movement inside the store. These cameras use tracking technology to identify shoppers through their body structure, and do not record any facial recognition or biometric data.
It is all linked to the individual account on the MAF Carrefour app and the cameras help detect when a shopper picks up or puts down a product, so that their virtual baskets are automatically updated. Once the shopper leaves the store, the total amount of their basket is automatically charged to their registered card and a digital receipt is sent through the app.
Majid Al Futtaim has confirmed that staff will be available at the store to help customers find items on the shelves and address queries or concerns. Currently, the store will allow only 10 shoppers in at one time owing to Covid-19 safety regulations. Shoppers who try to generate a QR code to enter the store when it is at its full capacity will be notified by the app and asked to wait until another shopper leaves.
“Carrefour City+ has been designed to make life easier by using technology to remove friction and enhance the retail experience,” says Hani Weiss, chief executive of 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.”
While many stores offer checkout-free or scan-and-go services, this technology may represent the next step in the region's retail shopping experience, given a push for contactless and cashless processes because of the pandemic.
Although this is a first-of-its-kind in the region, cashier-less stores aren't new. Amazon has been leading the fray with a series of automated convenience stores under the Amazon Go brand in the US. It does this by using "Just Walk Out" technology, a series of sensors and cameras to track what products are being removed from shelves, adding them to a virtual shopping trolley and charging customers accordingly. In February 2020, it opened its first full-fledged cashier-less grocery store in Seattle, with the sprawling space selling everything from meat and seafood to household items.
Brands such as Walmart and 7-Eleven have also been testing out the experience.
Carrefour City+ is located on the first floor of Mall of the Emirates, near the Metro station link. It is open daily from 9am to midnight.
World Cup final
Who: France v Croatia
When: Sunday, July 15, 7pm (UAE)
TV: Game will be shown live on BeIN Sports for viewers in the Mena region
'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Company%20Profile
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
PETER%20PAN%20%26%20WENDY
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDavid%20Lowery%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alexander%20Molony%2C%20Ever%20Anderson%2C%20Joshua%20Pickering%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Stamp duty timeline
December 2014: Former UK finance minister George Osbourne reforms stamp duty, replacing the slab system with a blended rate scheme, with the top rate increasing to 12 per cent from 10 per cent:
Up to £125,000 - 0%; £125,000 to £250,000 – 2%; £250,000 to £925,000 – 5%; £925,000 to £1.5m: 10%; Over £1.5m – 12%
April 2016: New 3% surcharge applied to any buy-to-let properties or additional homes purchased.
July 2020: Rishi Sunak unveils SDLT holiday, with no tax to pay on the first £500,000, with buyers saving up to £15,000.
March 2021: Mr Sunak decides the fate of SDLT holiday at his March 3 budget, with expectations he will extend the perk unti June.
April 2021: 2% SDLT surcharge added to property transactions made by overseas buyers.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
'Unrivaled: Why America Will Remain the World’s Sole Superpower'
Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
The specs: 2018 Bentley Bentayga V8
Price, base: Dh853,226
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 550hp @ 6,000pm
Torque: 770Nm @ 1,960rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L / 100km
Company%C2%A0profile
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Profile
Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014
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The specs
Engine: 3.5-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 380hp at 5,800rpm
Torque: 530Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Price: From Dh299,000 ($81,415)
On sale: Now
