Zara owner opens robot-staffed budget chain Lefties in UK to fight Shein
nordicinst · x · 2026-08-27
Zara's parent Inditex has launched its cut-price chain Lefties in Britain, opening its first store in Liverpool to take on Primark, Shein and supermarkets, backed by an army of robots, the Guardian reports. The store uses robotics to cut staffing costs: self-checkouts scan a whole basket at once, and shoppers drop hangers into a slot that carries them via hidden conveyor to two robots behind a screen who sort them by size into boxes. Fitting rooms have hatches sending unwanted items to robotic sorting behind the scenes. Two more UK stores open this year, with more expected next year.
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