Lidl is rolling out self-scanning to more UK stores

Lidl GB has expanded its Lidl & Go self-scanning trial to seven UK stores, allowing Lidl Plus app users to scan items as they shop and track their spending in real time before they pay.

The trial gives shoppers a third way to check out alongside manned tills and standard self-service terminals. Customers open the Lidl & Go function within the Lidl Plus app, scan products as they move through the store, monitor their running total and savings as they go, and then complete the purchase before leaving.

Lidl said the format gives shoppers more control over the pace of their shop and a clearer view of what they are spending as they fill their baskets.

The seven stores now running the trial are in Airdrie, Cardiff, Epsom, Glenrothes, Kingston, Guildford and Eastleigh.

The locations span England, Scotland and Wales, and the discounter said this next phase is designed to gather the insights it needs to refine the experience ahead of any wider rollout.

Lidl has not committed to a national launch date and is treating the expansion as a testing stage rather than a finished product.

Louise Weise, Chief Customer Officer at Lidl GB, said the trial marked another step in the retailer’s digital development.

“This trial is another step forward in our digital evolution, giving shoppers a smarter, faster, and more flexible way to shop,” Weise said. “As we continue to invest in Lidl Plus, our focus remains on making the shopping experience simple and rewarding. Whether a customer chooses a traditional checkout, self-service, or the autonomy of self-scanning, our priority is ensuring they have the flexibility to shop on their own terms.”

Lidl plus points

The expansion comes after Lidl introduced Plus Points, a points-based addition to its loyalty programme.

The retailer said the points scheme responded to customer demand for more flexibility in how rewards are earned and redeemed, and gives shoppers another route to savings on top of the personalised offers already built into the app.

Both moves form part of a wider push to make Lidl Plus the centre of the shopping experience.

Lidl stressed that the new option does not replace existing checkout methods. Manned tills and conventional self-service terminals stay in place across the estate, and shoppers who prefer not to use the app are unaffected.

The discounter framed the trial as adding choice rather than removing it, positioning self-scanning as one option among several.

Lidl has operated in Great Britain since 1994 and now runs more than 1,000 stores with over 35,000 employees and 13 distribution centres across England, Scotland and Wales.

The Lidl & Go trial forms part of the chain’s continued investment in digital infrastructure as it competes with rivals that have already rolled out scan-as-you-shop technology to large parts of their store networks, it said.

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