A smarter way to shop: Inside SPAR Ireland's new flagship store with Deligo

From AI-powered checkout to avocado scanners and energy-saving technology, SPAR KCR in Dublin is rethinking what convenience retail can look like. For BWG Foods and Deligo, it's also the beginning of a growing partnership.

About BWG Foods and SPAR Ireland

BWG Foods is one of Ireland's leading retail and wholesale groups, working with more than 1,000 independent retailers across brands including SPAR, EUROSPAR, MACE and Londis.

In September 2026, SPAR Ireland officially opened its newly refurbished Kimmage Cross Roads (KCR) flagship store in Dublin. The location brings together technologies designed to make shopping faster, reduce waste and improve store efficiency.

Among them is Deligo's AI-powered visual self-checkout, introduced as a first for Irish convenience retail. But the technology is only one part of a much bigger story.

More than a store refurbishment

SPAR KCR is designed around a simple idea: convenience should extend to every part of the shopping experience.

Customers visiting the store will find several innovations working together: Ireland's first avocado scanner, digital deli ordering with Ordú, smarter refrigeration and energy management, and sustainability built into the store with an external living wall. And, of course, Deligo's visual self-checkout kiosk.

Together, these features demonstrate how technology can address different challenges, from reducing queues and food waste to lowering energy consumption.

Bringing visual checkout to Irish convenience retail

One of the store's most significant innovations is its new approach to checkout.

Traditional self-checkout requires shoppers to find and scan individual barcodes. This can be particularly inconvenient when purchasing a mix of groceries, fresh food and products from behind the counter.

Deligo Air offers a different experience.

Powered by computer vision, the assisted self-checkout system recognizes multiple products placed on the counter simultaneously. Customers can review their basket and pay without scanning each item individually.

The assisted format also keeps store associates part of the experience. Shoppers can ask for help, interact with cashiers and request behind-the-counter products while benefiting from automated item recognition.

It's a combination that fits naturally into convenience retail, where speed matters, but personal service remains part of the experience.

"It's an exciting step towards a simpler, faster checkout experience, with the potential to reduce queues and make shopping more convenient."

Long-term strategic partnership

Deligo has been a regular participant in BWG Foods' Innovation Days, demonstrating its visual checkout technology to teams across the group's retail brands and exploring how it could fit into the everyday operations of convenience stores.

These events helped establish a close working relationship between the two companies, with a shared interest in introducing technology that delivers practical benefits for retailers and their customers.

SPAR KCR became the first opportunity to put that collaboration into practice.

To support the pilot, Deligo committed dedicated technical and operational resources, working closely with BWG Foods and the store team throughout the implementation. From preparing the solution for the store environment to testing and refining its performance, the project required close coordination on both sides.

The objective was to demonstrate that visual checkout could work reliably in a real convenience store, with its diverse product range and everyday customer interactions.

A successful pilot, with more to come

Following the successful pilot, BWG Foods and Deligo are now taking the partnership further. Additional Deligo kiosks are being introduced at SPAR KCR, allowing more customers to experience visual checkout at the location. The next step is to bring the technology to other stores, with further deployments already being planned.

For Deligo, the expansion is an encouraging milestone. For BWG Foods, it is another example of how testing emerging technologies in real stores can help identify solutions worth bringing to a larger retail network.

What's next for convenience retail?

The SPAR KCR flagship illustrates a wider shift in how retailers are approaching innovation.

Rather than treating technology as a standalone attraction, the store introduces practical improvements at different points in the customer journey. Shoppers can check whether their avocado is ripe, order lunch without waiting at the counter, and pay without scanning individual barcodes.

Behind the scenes, energy-saving systems and sustainability initiatives support more efficient store operations.

For BWG Foods and Deligo, the success of the first deployment creates an opportunity to bring one of those improvements — visual checkout — to more stores across Ireland.

And for shoppers, the benefit is refreshingly simple: less time spent on checkout, and more convenience in every visit.

Further reading

1. BWG Foods — Official opening of SPAR KCR

2. SPAR International — SPAR Ireland's pioneering flagship store

3. ShelfLife Magazine — SPAR KCR opens flagship Dublin store

4. Checkout Magazine — SPAR opens KCR flagship store in Dublin