Storekey brings point-of-sale retail technology to Ireland

Swedish checkoutless platform Storekey has partnered with an Irish company to bring the retail technology to market here next week.

torekey Ireland, which has a licensing agreement with the Stockholm-based company, was founded by Brian Goff and Felim Meade, who together own a number of food companies, and David Fitzsimons, former CEO of Retail Excellence.

The platform allows people to shop at a store using just their phone, meaning stores can be unmanned.

In Sweden, Storekey operates 32 grocery stores in remote locations and provides 24/7 access to convenience stores to rural communities.

In Ireland, Storekey plans to use the technology in a number of locations, including hospitals, to allow staff to access groceries and other goods throughout the night.

Meade said, “We’re seeing applications in corporate offices that allow night shift workers to access retail and groceries at night — just scan and access the store.

“Other uses could be builders merchants, allowing tradespeople to scan the store and access it to pick up stuff early in the morning for the day ahead – cement etc. We are also seeing rural Ireland using it in communities where the current Shops close at 6pm.”

Storekey founder Daniel Lundh said retailers in Sweden are using the technology to extend opening hours and collect data, just as online retailers can closely monitor shopping habits, stock levels and other trends.

The store was founded in 2018 to make shopping in brick-and-mortar stores more like online shopping, eliminating what Lundh called “friction” that involves queuing and trying to find items in-store.

“The smartphone is really becoming the central element of your shopping journey and your shopping experience. And so we can bring the two worlds together, online and offline,” said Lundh.

To demonstrate the concept, Storekey opened its own convenience store and then created a retail brand called Lifvs, which is Swedish for groceries.

“We placed this in a place where a traditional store could not survive and operated solely on this Storekey platform and had great success.

“We became a chain of stores with 32 stores across Sweden and focused on the rural areas of Sweden.

“We’ve really seen the quality of life locally improve with the addition of this service,” he added.

He said the technology doesn’t necessarily mean fewer jobs in retail, but that staff will be freed up from mundane tasks like taking inventory.

Another problem related to the technology would be the opportunity for theft. However, he said theft or shrinkage is at the same level as other retail outlets.

Last year, Storekey focused on rolling out the technology to other retailers, including Sweden’s largest chain of petrol stations and a large chain of florists.

Storekey Ireland plans to play a key role in bringing the technology to a number of international markets.