South African grocer Pick n Pay pilots in-store bitcoin payments 
South African grocery chain Pick n Pay has piloted in-store payments using bitcoin. The exercise used Electrum's cloud-based payments platform on infrastructure provided by global bitcoin company Luno. Customers at the company's Cape Town head office campus store were able to use the cryptocurrency to buy groceries and services, checking out using a QR code scanner on their smartphones. Deputy CEO Richard van Rensburg said the trial was limited and that there were no plans to enable bitcoin payments until a more comprehensive regulatory framework for cryptocurrency use was in place.

In what is potentially a world first for a major grocery retailer, Electrum has enabled Pick n Pay to accept Bitcoin payments in-store. As a result of this ground breaking innovation project, for a limited time customers at Pick n Pay’s head office campus store have been able to use the Bitcoin cryptocurrency to purchase groceries and services. The checkout process is as simple as scanning a QR code using a Bitcoin wallet app on the customer’s smartphone.

Jason Peisl, IS Executive at Pick n Pay, explains, "At Pick n Pay one of our key values is to embrace change and encourage innovation and leadership. To deliver on that promise we are constantly working with our technology partners to find ways in which we can deliver valuable, innovative services to our customers. Cryptocurrency and Bitcoin are still relatively new payment concepts, yet we have been able to effectively demonstrate how we are able to accept such alternative payments."



Electrum provided the cloud-based enterprise payments platform used for the transactions. Electrum MD Dave Glass says, "We've worked closely with PnP for several years as a key technology provider. Our mission is to support innovative enterprises like Pick n Pay, and together we use the advanced Electrum software-as-a-service technology to move quickly on new opportunities, whilst at the same time delivering the best possible shopping experience".



The Bitcoin infrastructure for the project was provided by Luno, a global Bitcoin company, active in Southeast Asia and Africa, and with an office in Cape Town. Luno enables South African consumers to easily buy, sell, send and spend Bitcoin.



*update* Business Day has picked up this blog post - No paying via bitcoin just yet, says Pick n Pay