The new owner of Zavvi is exploring the idea of opening unstaffed, automated units on the high street, reports Retail Week:

Chief executive and founder Matthew Moulding said the shops “would be the size of a juice bar, no doors, and there would just be touch screens and a Chip and PIN reader”.

He added: “It would help brand development. The high street brings a lot of traffic online instantly.” Moulding said that the first stores are about a year away, but he believes if a trial is successful 20 shops could be rolled out.

The Hut, which also runs white-label services for DSGi, Asda Direct and others, is also planning to extend that side of the business via partnerships with overseas retailers, Retail Week reports.

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