Deutsche Bahn Opens Autonomous Store at Railway Station in Berlin with AiFi Technology

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Jun 27, 2023, 08:00 ET

The new store in the Ostbahnhof Deutsche Bahn railway station is the second AiFi-powered store to launch in Germany, catering to busy commuters on the go

SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- AiFi, the most flexible AI platform that enables retailers to affordably deploy autonomous shopping solutions, today announced the grand opening of its newest autonomous store within Berlin's Ostbahnhof Deutsche Bahn railway station. The opening of this new 24/7 ServiceStore is run by DB Station&Service AG, operated by SSP Deutschland GmbH. While AiFi has continued to increase its European presence over the past four years, this newest store in Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, Berlin, is the first one for public customers to launch in Germany.

As Deutsche Bahn focuses on the digitization of its services to meet expectations of the young and modern Berlin population, the new store demonstrates the company's and country's dedication to innovating the travel experience with advanced technology. The new seamless shopping option provides a fast and convenient experience for travelers that don't have time to wait in line.

"AiFi's technology has been helping consumers avoid long queues and reclaim that critical time amid their travels, so that they can move through their days more swiftly and focus their time and attention on things that matter most," said Sander Garnier, New Business and Account Manager, Europe at AiFi. "We at AiFi are proud to partner with Deutsche Bahn to bring frictionless technology to shoppers and commuters in Berlin's Ostbahnhof railway station."

With AiFi's computer vision-powered checkout-free solution, customers can enter the store, grab what they need, and walk out, cutting their shopping trips in half. With transportation hubs in particular seeing large amounts of foot traffic at all times of the day, estimating demand and staffing stores can prove quite difficult. Autonomous retail can help retailers overcome these challenges with unmanned locations conveniently accessible to customers 24/7.

As German public transportation hubs continue to see increased foot traffic, the Deutsche Bahn 24/7 ServiceStore will sell cold drinks, coffee, fresh baked goods, convenience products, and will feature alcohol and tobacco vending machines for the traveler and commuter on the go. The 24-hour, 436 square-foot store will enable customers to use the 24/7 ServiceStore Webapp app for entry, purchase, and payment. The store will also feature Wanzl galaxy entry gates, encouraging seamless entrance and exit to the stores.

"The new 24/7 ServiceStore represents a milestone in the further development of ServiceStore DB and our customer service," said Martina Köppl, Head of Franchise Management at DB Station&Service AG. "From now on, AiFi's technology will let passengers shop completely autonomously around the clock at Berlin's Ostbahnhof. For us, this is a major and important step in the provision of passenger services, which we see as an elementary part of the intermodal travel chain in public transport. In the future, customers will benefit from the unlimited availability of the service and a completely new and time-saving shopping experience."

Recently hitting its milestone of over 100 computer vision-powered autonomous stores, AiFi has the highest number of store deployments globally, served over 3.5 million customers, and has processed over 10 million transactions with its solution. Other industry-leading partnerships include global customers such as Microsoft, Verizon, ALDI, Carrefour, Zabka, Compass Group, Morrisons, Sodexo, Live Nation, NASCAR, the NBA, and the NFL. Learn more about AiFi and its scalable, flexible AI platform at aifi.com.

About AiFi

AiFi provides the most flexible AI platform that enables retailers to affordably deploy and scale autonomous shopping solutions across their businesses. Leveraging computer vision, AiFi adapts to existing store formats without the need for shelf sensors, and provides advanced tracking algorithms that can scale and support various shopper journeys such as an app, credit card, gated, or hybrid entry. AiFi works with top retailers worldwide such as ALDI South Group, Carrefour, Compass Group, Żabka Group, REWE, and Verizon. AiFi has the highest number of computer vision powered autonomous stores across the globe. The company has raised a total of $80 million from investors including Verizon Ventures, Qualcomm Ventures, HP Tech Ventures, Mithril Capital, Cervin Ventures, TransLink Capital, Plum Alley, Duke Angel Network, Reaction, GS Future, Drive Catalyst, and Evolution.

For more information, please visit aifi.com.

About ServiceStore DB

Founded in 1998, the ServiceStore DB franchise concept is part of DB Station&Service AG and currently has around 200 locations throughout Germany operated by a total of 20 franchise partners. In addition to Valora Holding Germany GmbH, currently the largest partner, ServiceStore DB's franchise partners include the Dr. Eckert group of companies, Casualfood GmbH, SSP Deutschland and Lagardère Travel Retail Deutschland.

The conceptual development of the rapidly expanding format focuses on sustainability and digitalisation, among other things.

The brand portfolio also includes the "ServiceStore DB Selection" brand, which was developed for high-frequency locations with its high-quality food service offer and complements the ServiceStore DB concept. The "24/7 ServiceStore" concept, which does not require sales staff, enables shopping around the clock with the help of an app.

For more information, please visit www.servicestoredb.de.

About SSP Deutschland GmbH

SSP Deutschland GmbH is a subsidiary of the international SSP Group. SSP is a leading operator of food and beverage concessions in destinations, operating restaurants, bars, cafés, food courts, lounges and convenience stores in airports, railway stations, motorway service areas and other leisure facilities. SSP is represented in 35 countries around the world and has a portfolio of more than 550 international, national and local brands.

For more information, please visit https://www.foodtravelexperts.com/our-markets/europe/germany-austria-and-switzerland/.

SOURCE AiFi