WHSmith’s first checkout-free store with Amazon’s Just Walk Out tech

WHSmith finally debuted its checkout-free store in New York City’s LaGuardia airport after teasing its opening for months.

The store is located inside the western concourse of the airport’s new Terminal B and will be open from 04:30 to 21:00 daily.

WHSmith has tapped Amazon’s “Just Walk Out” technology for the store, meaning customers need only to scan a QR code to enter, before picking up the goods they wish to purchase and leave the store, without ever visiting a till point.

A network of cameras and sensors are able to detect when an item is lifted off the shelve and by who, before charging the customer digitally once they have left the store.

“Opening the first North American WHSmith using Amazon’s ground-breaking Just Walk Out technology at LaGuardia Terminal B is truly an honour,” Marshall Retail Group chief executive Toby Keir said on the release.

“As a Group, we’re always striving to provide the best retail experience for our customers and this new technology allows travellers to shop quickly and with ease during their journey.

“It’s a hugely exciting time for our business and we look forward to strengthening the retail provision in airports across the US by opening more stores under our WHSmith, Marshall Retail Group and InMotion brands.”

LaGuardia Gateway Partners director of commercial operations Joanne King added: “We’re excited to welcome the new WHSmith to Terminal B, and with it, another state-of-the-art amenity for Terminal B guests.

“Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology will give travellers the option to seamlessly grab what they need and go – one more example of the elevated guest experience at the new Terminal B.”