A new era of grocery shopping is arriving in downtown Vancouver this Friday with the launch of Aisle 24, a cashier-less, zero-contact convenience store.

The store is located along Robson Street, a high-profile retail corrider, and will be operated by the Toronto-based Aisle 24 chain. According to a published report, the new Vancouver is part of an aggressive Aisle 24 expansion program designed to built out at least 25 locations over the next three to five years.

Each Aisle 24 location offers a fully automated shopping experience—open 24/7 and entirely staff-free.

Customers will use the Aisle 24 mobile app to access the store, Ken Oki, managing director of Smart Installs—Aisle 24’s B.C. franchising partner—explained to the Daily Hive.

“Aisle 24 market is essentially an unattended market where users can come shop for daily essentials and convenience products,” Oki told the Daily Hive. “It’s unattended, meaning there’s no staff on site, and it’s self-checkout, so you just self-scan yourself out.”

To maintain security while remaining open around the clock, customers must verify their identity using facial recognition through the app before entry.

“To use the app, customers have to have a credit card and take a couple of selfies to verify their identity through a third-party facial recognition human verification company that, with that imaging, determines that you are actually real and not some sort of AI bot that’s trying to create an account,” Oki told the Daily Hive.

Once verified, customers tap “Access” in the app to unlock the main door, enter a vestibule, and then proceed through a second door into the store once the first has closed behind them. Inside, they can shop and check out items using self-scan stations.

Product selection will vary by location, tailored to each community’s needs. The new downtown Vancouver store will cater largely to the city’s Asian population, Oki told the Daily Hive.

While a full list of vendors has yet to be released, Oki confirmed to the Daily Hive that several local partners are involved and that the store will include a large walk-in cooler to support a wide array of drinks.

Pictured: The interior of Vancouver’s soon-open Aisle 24 store.

Photo: Aisle 24

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