Unmanned food store opens in Sweden

It was a chaotic, late-night scramble to buy baby food, with a screaming toddler in the backseat, that gave Robert Ilijason the idea to open Sweden’s first unmanned convenience store.

Home alone with his hungry son, Ilijason had dropped the last baby-food jar on the floor.

He had to drive 20 minutes from the small town of Viken, in southern Sweden, to find a supermarket that was open.

Now, the 39-year-old IT specialist runs a 24-hour shop with no cashier.

Customers use their cellphones to unlock the door with a swipe of the finger and scan their purchases.

They first register for the service and download an app.

They get charged for their purchases in a monthly invoice.

The shop has basics like milk, bread, sugar, canned food, and nappies, products typical of a small convenience store.

It doesn’t have tobacco or medical drugs, because of the risk of theft.

Alcohol cannot be sold in convenience stores in Sweden.

“My ambition is to spread this idea to other villages and small towns,” said Ilijason.

He has installed six surveillance cameras to discourage shoplifting in the 480-square-foot (45-square-metre) store.

He is alerted by text message if the front door stays open for longer than eight seconds, or if someone tries to break it open.