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Lewiatan Launches AI-Managed Store in Poland
Under the Lewiatan banner, an unstaffed container store called SmartNovo is opening in Poland, run entirely by a single AI system that controls access, pricing, promotions and restocking. The project is backed by Nvidia and Starlink, with plans to expand across Poland and Central and Eastern Europe.
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Poland's Lewiatan retail chain is opening the country's first store run entirely by artificial intelligence, handling everything from access control and inventory monitoring to pricing and promotional decisions. The project is called SmartNovo, and its creators describe it as a test of a concept that could allow stores to open in locations where building a traditional outlet wouldn't pay off.
How the store runs without staff
From a customer's perspective, SmartNovo works simply: scan a code at the entrance, pick up what you need, and walk out. Everything else happens on the AI system's side, which its creators say controls access to the store, monitors stock availability in real time, detects theft attempts, and responds if a customer falls.
The system also manages prices through electronic shelf labels and independently decides when to launch promotions. When stock of a given product starts running low, the AI automatically instructs a worker to restock the shelves, specifying exactly what needs to be delivered and in what quantity. In practice, this means people don't manage the store, they carry out tasks assigned by the system.
It can be placed on a busier street, in a different city or region - Phi Long Bui, founder and operator of SmartNovo
A container instead of construction
The concept hinges on the outlet's legal status. SmartNovo is registered in the European Union as a vending machine, meaning launching the store doesn't require lengthy administrative procedures or construction work. All that's needed is a plot the size of two parking spaces to set up a fully stocked, unstaffed outlet within days.
Mobility is the project's other key selling point. The entire fully stocked container can be loaded onto a truck and moved to a new location in under an hour. That opens the door to seasonal placement, for example by the beach in summer and near a ski slope in winter, or simply relocating the store wherever demand happens to appear.
Partners and customer data
Behind the technology stands a group of business and technology partners, including Nvidia, Starlink, Aomb Polska, Nobisoft, Mago, and Grunt.to Nieruchomości. Nvidia's involvement suggests the store's image recognition and event detection system relies on hardware and software for real-time visual data processing, while Starlink is meant to provide connectivity in locations where stable internet access is limited.
The project's creators stress that the system was designed to comply with RODO (Poland's implementation of the EU's GDPR data protection rules) and that it does not store data allowing customers to be identified. That's a notable claim, since the store relies on continuous video monitoring that detects theft and responds to emergencies such as a customer falling.
A place on the retail map
The first SmartNovo store will open under the Lewiatan banner, with the company announcing plans for gradual expansion across Poland and Central and Eastern Europe. This isn't the first attempt to automate neighborhood stores in Poland: back in 2020, Lewiatan opened a self-service outlet in Krakow featuring a touchscreen panel and a conveyor belt system, though that solution did not use AI to manage the entire operation.
The convenience and small-format retail sector is currently racing to shrink sales floor space as much as possible while keeping a full product range. For comparison, Żabka Nano stores at airports cover about 25 square meters, while smaller competing formats such as Carrefour Express offer as many as 170 product listings. At 21 square meters, SmartNovo fits this trend, offering a smaller, fully automated alternative.
For Poland's retail market, the launch of an AI-run store signals that automation is no longer limited to self-checkout registers and ordering systems, but is starting to extend to managing an entire point of sale, from logistics to marketing. If the concept proves successful, it could spread beyond grocery chains to other sectors where building a traditional store is too costly or unprofitable given low customer traffic.
Sources: New concept: Lewiatan bets on an autonomous store (handelextra.pl), Lewiatan's first self-service store is now open (lewiatan.pl)
