The Shoprite Group’s tech innovations, the Checkers Sixty60 app and the new ShopriteX innovation hub have created 2870 and 250 jobs respectively, according to a statement from the retailer.
The company said that these figures illustrated the group’s ability to create jobs alongside technology innovation.
The grocery delivery service app Checkers Sixty60, launched in 2019 allows for the delivery of groceries and drinks at the touch of a button, with users being able to track the status of their order and delivery in real time.
At time the retailer said that the name of the app captured the service’s main ambition: “for customers to order groceries in sixty seconds and have them delivered in as little as sixty minutes”.
The Checkers Sixty60 has been downloaded more than 1.5 million times.
The 250 member team from ShopriteX, Shoprite’s digital business unit, includes experts in data science, e-commerce and personalisation. It recently launched Checkers Rush at the Checkers Hyper Brackenfell flagship store.
Checkers Rush is an automated, cashless, “no queues, no checkout, no waiting” concept store, where employees can grab products and walk out.
Using advanced AI camera technology to identify the products being taken off the shelves, Checkers Rush bills users’ bank cards upon exit.
Shoprite had 144 844 employees at the end of its 2021 financial year. Of this number, 65% are under the age of 35 and 64% are women.
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