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[SITUATION] · [ACTIVE]

3 clusters · 10 sources · 16 days · First seen 17 days ago · Last updated 2 days ago

Categories: TECHNOLOGY

UK grocery retail automation

Entities: Instacart · Caper smart trolley · Gordon Macpherson · ICE · Instacart Inc.

Overview

In mid‑July 2026 Tesco piloted Simbe Robotics’ Tally shelf‑scanning robot at a single store and completed the first phase of a planned 600‑store rollout of autonomous cleaning co‑bots developed with ICE, highlighting AI‑driven inventory monitoring and automated store maintenance. Concurrently, Morrisons began testing Instacart’s Caper smart trolley in its Preston supermarket, the first UK deployment of the AI‑powered shopping cart that recognises items, weighs fresh produce, displays a running basket total, offers promotions and integrates with the Morrisons More Card for loyalty savings. The trial expands the earlier introduction of Caper technology and underscores the shift from isolated pilots to multi‑store, customer‑facing automation across major UK grocery chains, pointing to broader European adoption of connected shopping solutions.

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 3 SOURCES] Instacart began a trial of Caper smart trolleys at a Morrisons store in Preston, Lancashire, UK on 29 July 2026. (instacart)
[● 3 SOURCES] Caper smart trolleys use AI‑driven computer‑vision cameras to automatically recognise items placed in them. (instacart)
[● 3 SOURCES] The trolleys weigh fresh produce on the spot using an integrated scale. (instacart)
[● 3 SOURCES] Each Caper trolley’s touchscreen shows a running basket total and offers product recommendations and loyalty savings. (instacart)
[● 3 SOURCES] Checkout is completed by scanning a barcode displayed on the trolley at a dedicated lane. (instacart)
[● 2 SOURCES] The Caper trolley deployment is Instacart’s first retail partnership in the United Kingdom. (instacart)
[● 2 SOURCES] David McIntosh said the Caper smart trolleys represent a new era for in‑store grocery shopping. (instacart)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Caper carts have previously been deployed in the United States and Australia with retailers such as Kroger, Wakefern and Coles. (instacart)

Timeline

2 days ago

[TECHNOLOGY] 4 sources
Instacart launches AI‑powered Caper smart trolleys at Morrisons in Preston, UK
Instacart’s AI‑powered Caper smart trolley trial starts at a Morrisons store in Preston, UK, the firm’s first UK partnership. The cart recognises items, weighs produce, shows totals and loyalty offers, and uses
4 days ago

[TECHNOLOGY] 5 sources
Tesco and Morrisons expand AI-driven store automation in the UK
Tesco finished a 600‑store rollout of autonomous cleaning co‑bots, while Morrisons launched Instacart’s AI‑powered Caper smart trolleys in Preston, showcasing new UK retail automation.
17 days ago

[TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
Tesco pilots Simbe Tally shelf‑scanning robot in UK store
Tesco is testing Simbe’s AI‑driven Tally robot to scan shelves for stock gaps, following similar pilots by Morrisons in the UK and SPAR in Austria.

Sources

burnhamandhighbridgeweeklynews.co.uk · chroniclelive.co.uk · dmrqkbkq8el9i.cloudfront.net · olivierdauvers.fr · retailgazette.co.uk · retailtechinnovationhub.com · retailtimes.co.uk · retailwit.com · supermarketnews.co.nz · thebusinesstimes.co.uk

This summary has been updated 2 times: see revision history