Unmanned stores and fuel stations have been operating on the Czech market for several years. At the fuel station near the D7 motorway in Panenský Týnec, both concepts come together thanks to the cooperation of the COOP and ORLEN networks. Another innovation is the digital avatar, which will assist customers with shopping in the store. Within the Ústí nad Labem Region, this is the first fully automated and staff-free grocery and convenience store operating 24/7, and the first implementation of such a concept at a fuel station in the Czech Republic. Both the store and the fuel station are open continuously—seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day.
At the ORLEN fuel station near the D7 motorway in Panenský Týnec, the first combination of a self-service fuel station and a COOP 24/7 store with a digital assistant has been introduced. This innovation offers customers maximum flexibility and leverages cutting-edge technology. The partnership between COOP, the largest domestic retail network, and ORLEN, the leader of the Czech fuel station market, gives customers the opportunity to refuel and shop anytime, without staff. The store operates around the clock and, in addition to a wide range of groceries and complementary goods, is equipped with an automatic coffee machine automatic coffee machine and product selection, both under the private label Stop Cafe, familiar to customers from other ORLEN stations.
“We keep finding new applications for the 24/7 automated store concept. Our primary goal is to use this technology in regional stores. At the same time, it’s becoming clear that the concept is also perfectly suited for tourist destinations, airports, hospitals, and university campuses—places where customers demand high time flexibility. The store at the fuel station is another great example of how automated retail can be utilized. With more than a thousand items on offer, customers will be able to buy fresh baked goods, dairy products, and cold cuts, even in a relatively small store space,” explains Lukáš Němčík, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the COOP Group for Services. COOP’s 24/7 stores are constantly expanding; just last month, COOP opened five new ones, and the store in Panenský Týnec will be the 94th of its kind.
At the self-service ORLEN Express fuel station in Panenský Týnec, customers can purchase Efecta and Verva fuels, and an EV charging station is also available. ORLEN transformed the original small store with a limited assortment into a modern self-service shop in cooperation with COOP. Customers enter via the ČSOB Do Kapsy app, which does not require a bank account. Payment for goods and fuel can be made with any payment card.
“Over the past year, we have increased the share of non-fuel products and refreshments sold in our network, and revenues from these products now exceed thirty percent of total sales at fuel stations,” says Agnieszka Bobrukiewicz, Member of the Board of ORLEN Unipetrol Group responsible for retail in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia, as well as for the development of the non-fuel retail segment within the ORLEN Group. She adds: “As part of our new strategy, when strengthening the non-fuel segment, we focus on building external partnerships both at our fuel stations and outside. An example is our cooperation with the COOP chain on two levels. The first involves fully automated COOP stores at our fuel stations, and the second is the expansion of our Stop Cafe coffee corner - with an automatic coffee machine and selected Stop Cafe private-label products - into COOP stores. We aim to implement similar types of cooperation in other countries within our international Orlen network, which includes more than three and a half thousand stations in seven European countries.”
Modern self-service concepts, such as the one just opened at the Panenský Týnec station, are ideal for smaller stations that cannot be significantly rebuilt or expanded and then operated in a full-service mode. “We have several dozen locations in our network similar to Panenský Týnec. Thanks to the automation of fuel station operations, we are finding new uses for this segment of stations, while at the same time contributing through this innovation to maintaining good regional service in rural areas,” says Rostislav Moravec, Director of the ORLEN fuel station network in the Czech Republic.
The COOP store at the ORLEN fuel station in Panenský Týnec is the first of its kind in the Czech Republic and also the first automated COOP store in the Ústí nad Labem Region. Another innovation that COOP is beginning to test in its stores is the use of a digital avatar to assist customers with shopping and other needs. Customers in Panenský Týnec will be the first to try it out. The avatar, named Míša, will be able to help customers with promotional offers or navigating the store. The technology is supplied by the Czech company Next mind. “Customers can either talk to Míša normally or use the screen for communication. Our main goal now is to test the real-world use of this technology, gather customer feedback, and gradually develop additional features,” explains Petr Bartoň, CEO of Next mind.
“Automated 24/7 stores represent one of the biggest innovations in retail. We are now working on broader adoption of the entire concept and integrating it with other technologies, such as the mentioned digital assistant and theft prevention using a combination of camera systems and AI. Our long-term goal is to create the most comfortable and customer-friendly shopping environment possible,” concludes Lukáš Němčík.
How to shop:
1. Download the DoKapsy mobile app from ČSOB (the app is available even for those who do not have a ČSOB account).
2. Register in the app.
3. Use the unique QR code generated by the app to enter the store.
4. Take a basket and shop.
5. Scan your items at the checkout.
6. Confirm your purchase and pay by card or mobile.
7. To exit the store, scan the QR code from the app again.
How the store is protected against theft:
• Each customer is uniquely identified through bank identity.
• The entire store is covered by a camera system.
• The store is connected to a central security desk, and the system is activated every time a customer enters.
Media Contacts
COOP – Ivo Čižmár, +420 602 130 450, ivo.cizmar@directionpr.cz
ORLEN – Lada Gadas, +420 705 839 909, lada.gadas@orlenunipetrol.cz
ORLEN – the international network of fuels, energy and refreshments
The ORLEN network of filling stations is a member of the ORLEN Unipetrol Group owned by the international ORLEN Group, which runs more than 3,500 fuel stations in seven Central European countries – Poland, Czechia, Germany, Lithuania, Hungary, Austria, and Slovakia. In Czechia, the ORLEN network comprises 443 stations with a 28.6% market share in the volume of fuels sold. The ORLEN network is a market leader in terms of both the number of sites and the volume of fuels sold. The popularity of the ORLEN brand with Czech consumers is reflected by the fact that the ORLEN network of filling stations has been awarded as the Most Trustworthy Brand in Czechia six times and as the Merchant of the Year three times.
At its stations, ORLEN offers premium Efecta fuel with a proven purifying effect and top-class Verva fuel that cares for the engine system and offers enhanced performance parameters. ORLEN sites also provide alternative fuels, including liquified petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG), synthetic fuel HVO100, and battery- and hydrogen-driven e-mobility. ORLEN offers electricity at 294 charging points and operates hydrogen refuelling stations in Prague- Barrandov and Litvínov-Záluží.
The Stop Cafe concept is a significant part of the offering, being a crucial pillar in ORLEN brand’s convenience sales. In the Czech Republic, Stop Cafe is available at 363 out of 443 filling stations, i.e., at more than 80% of them. It is offered at nearly 2,500 sites within the entire international network. Stop Cafe offers a broad range of meals and food products – from popular hotdogs and coffee to more than 1,000 products, including packaged food, ready-to-serve meals, and specialities in traditional, vegetarian, and vegan versions. The offer keeps developing – the ORLEN competence centre in Prague is working on new product ranges focused on a healthy lifestyle, including breakfasts, bakery products, ready-to-serve meals, and private brand products that will react to the current trends and customer needs.
ORLEN also issues its own fuel cards, EASY and BUSINESS, and runs two mobile apps – the loyalty ORLEN app and a car care app, Mycí digi linka.