Kaufland Bulgaria Bets On Self-Checkout Technology

Six self-service checkouts are now available to Kaufland customers at the retailer’s outlet in Pernik – Hristo Smirnenski.

Kaufland plans to add ten new self-checkout areas and expand another five existing ones over the course of this year.

This will provide shoppers with over 80 new self-service checkouts, located in both new and recently-modernised outlets.

Self-Checkout Rollout

Since 2021, Kaufland Bulgaria has already installed 229 self-checkouts in 36 stores nationwide.

According to the retailer, Bulgarian customers find self-checkouts appealing, because they enable them to save time, as well as offering a variety of payment options (cash, cardd, and electronic food vouchers).

The Schwarz Group-owned retailer says that over 30% of its customers already use self-checkouts, and that number is going up year-on-year.

K-Scan Service

Last year, Kaufland Bulgaria became the first retailer in the country to offer self-scanning through its K-Scan service.

This lets customers scan their groceries as they shop, using a handheld scanner or their phone. Then they just pay at the self-checkout using a QR code. To use K-Scan, customers need only to register their Kaufland Card at the store entrance.

Currently, this pilot programme is only available in two Kaufland stores in Sofia, in Banishora and Ovcha Kupel.

Kaufland Bulgaria is a major player in the Bulgarian retail industry with 65 hypermarkets in 35 cities, and annual sales of over BGN 2 billion (€1 billion). Since launching in 2006, Kaufland has invested a total of BGN 1.6 billion (€818 million) in infrastructure in its Bulgarian store estate.

ESM