Tesco Deploys Autonomous Cleaning Fleet Across 600 Express Stores

The initiative, developed in partnership with ICE, represents the largest deployment of cleaning automation within the UK convenience sector to date. Tabitha Gafencu, Project Manager for Stores Transformation at Tesco, confirmed the completion of the initial phase, noting that the project required extensive coordination between store managers, engineers, and supply chain partners. The robots provide consistent, data-tracked cleaning standards across the network.

During a recent visit to 32 Scottish Express stores, leadership assessed the practical impact of the technology on daily operations. Gafencu emphasized that the success of the transition relied on the support of deployment managers Jack Helyer and Jo Kimberlin, who coordinated the integration of the hardware into complex retail environments. By offloading maintenance tasks to automated systems, the retailer aims to optimize store labor efficiency without compromising hygiene standards.