Sainsbury's to launch contactless payments in 'majority' of c-stores by Christmas

The supermarket giant, which was slow to introduce the technology to its estate, had initially targeted the first half of 2016 for a full rollout.

Sainsbury’s now plans to introduce contactless to most of its near-800 strong c-store estate ahead of the Christmas trading period, with the remaining shops poised to benefit in 2017.

But the grocer is yet to put a timeframe on when the technology will be rolled out to its larger supermarkets.

Unspecified date

A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said: “Our customers will find an expected item in the bagging areas soon – we are in the process of introducing contactless payments in our stores.”

The supermarket giant, which completed its £1.4bn acquisition of Argos owner Home Retail Group in September, is driving the use of technology to improve the shopping trip for customers.

Sainsbury’s is piloting a shop-and-go smartphone app and is also installing Argos digital concessions and eBay collection points in its larger stores.

The grocer unveiled its “supermarket of the future” at Nine Elms last month, which also included its first Habitat concession, a sushi station and new-look butcher, fishmonger and patisserie counters.

Sainsbury’s posts its interim results on November 9.