King Power Stadium ‘power’ payment initiative

Article posted by Coliseum, August 10^th, 2022

Image: Levy UK + Ireland

Levy UK + Ireland, the sports and hospitality sector of Compass Group UK and Ireland, has launched Tap + Go for stadia, with the Premier League team Leicester City F.C.’s residence – the King Power Stadium – the first to tap the technology.

‘RTIH’ stated that Levy UK + Ireland partnered with autonomous retail firm AiFi for this project.

Compass Group UK and Ireland is the top contract catering, hospitality and business support services provider.

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The Leicester City Football Club is a professional football club based in Leicester in the East Midlands of England, UK. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of England’s football league system, and plays its home matches at the King Power Stadium.

The King Power Stadium is a football stadium in Leicester, England, UK. It has been the home of Premier League club Leicester City since 2002, and has an all-seated capacity of 32,261. Since 2021, the stadium has also been the primary home of Leicester City Women.

‘RTIH’ further stated that matchday fans will be able to make food and drink purchases, without having to pay at a till.

They need to tap a payment card upon entry, pick up their items and walk out of the gates onto the concourse, where their card will be automatically charged.

Tap + Go is operated via AiFi’s AI-powered anonymized shopper tracking which recognizes the products being selected by customers, before adding them to a virtual basket.

Checkouts will be replaced by the installation of contactless payment terminals connected to digital barriers upon exit.

Commented Rak Kalidas, Commercial Director, Levy UK+I, “The truly frictionless F&B purchase experience created through Tap + Go marks a major step forward for Leicester City and the fan experience at the King Power Stadium. In an industry currently teeming with innovation, this technology is a fine example of how Levy UK+I stands out in taking the hospitality sector forward further and faster. We are proud to be working closely with our venue partners to offer guests a revolutionary experience that goes beyond anything currently available in UK stadia.”

Added Kalidas, “Combining a range of convenience and safety enhancing techniques, frictionless systems have the ability to operate in a range of environments, including general concourse and hospitality areas. We believe that this will be a game changer by making operations far more efficient, easier and exciting for everyone involved, and we look forward to rolling out Tap + Go across more Levy venues.”

Added Leicester City Operations Director, Anthony Mundy, “We are constantly looking at new solutions to improve the stadium experience for fans. The launch of Tap + Go at our venue will enable us to take the fan experience to the next level by making it easier than ever for guests to purchase and enjoy our first-class food and beverage offerings. We are confident that our partnership with Levy UK+I will continue to make the future of hospitality accessible to our guests.”

Put in Jon Braithwaite, Chief Information Officer, Compass Group UK & Ireland, “As a business, we’re extremely excited that our focus and investment in innovation has allowed us to bring frictionless technology to this high traffic and high-volume environment – a European first in stadia and top-flight sports. Working with our customers and partners on step changes such as this, significantly improving the customer experience, is a real passion for the Compass team.”

Frictionless experience

‘Levy UK + Ireland’ stated that Tap + Go will be the European first-to-market frictionless customer experience for stadia. Levy UK+I has partnered with global autonomous retail experts AiFi to take the concept one step further into the high volume, high footfall stadia market. It will pave the way for a new class of guest experience across Levy-operated venues.

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