Innovative Technology (ITL) have confirmed a Primary Authority Partnership with Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards with regards to the use of their age estimation technology for retailers selling age restricted goods.  

ITL’s biometric solutions, MyCheckr and MyCheckr ^Miniare designed to provide anonymous age estimation to assist the till operator in the vital decision-making step when they are required to determine a customer’s age.

John Vallis,  Senior Business Development Manager for ITL’s biometrics range said, “We are delighted to announce that we have secured a Primary Authority Partnership which will support retailers using our age estimation products, in the fight to prevent minors accessing alcohol, tobacco and vapes. This partnership essentially means that consumers can trust that our age estimation technology, if implemented appropriately into an age verification policy, and used in accordance with the guidance, is a compliant visual aid. It can be used to help ensure that the sale of age-restricted goods will not be made to persons under the age of 18.  This partnership signifies that  customers who choose to implement our age estimation technology, are actively demonstrating compliance, which is notably welcomed by responsible retailers.”

Primary Authority is a statutory scheme, established by the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Act 2008. It allows an eligible business to form a legally recognised partnership with a single local authority in relation to regulatory compliance. This local authority is then known as its ‘primary authority’.

Joanne Cook, Senior Trading Standards Officer commented, “This partnership provides ITL with an additional layer of reassurance and confidence for their customers, that their products meet legal requirements, supported by guidance from Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards.  We have checked the evidence of the standards that the technology has been tested to, as well as taking the opportunity to witness the operation of MyCheckr within a retail setting.   We are satisfied that it can be used to provide a visual guide to sales staff as to whether customers look age 25 or over and therefore assist retailers to comply with their legal obligations when selling age restricted products. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Innovative to provide any further advice needed in this crucial area of age restricted sales.”

Innovative Technology Ltd (ITL) will be joining retail suppliers and industry professionals at ‘EuroShop 2024 – the leading trade fair for retail technology’ which takes place in Düsseldorf, Germany from 27th- 29th February. ITL will be showcasing some exciting solutions in Hall 9 booth A21 which are set to transform the retail industry.

Thorsten Labusch, VP of Sales & Business Development for ITL said, “This year the booth will have an even split between our cash handling and biometrics divisions. One of the key focal points will be our self-checkout (SCO) demo which will show our note, coin and biometrics solutions all working together, fully connected and integrated within the POS system.  Using our NV4000 multi-note recycler and SMART Coin System (SCS) recycler, the demo will show retailers with high volume transactions how to accelerate customer throughout with fewer refills. Plus with ICU Lite integrated into the self-checkout, age checks are automated for retailers selling age-restricted goods.”

Thorsten continued, “We are also excited to show the new Coin Elevator in Europe for the first time. This module for the SCS minimises the gap between coin entry and exit, for improved accessibility to  enhance the overall customer experience.”

Christian Czeskleba, Senior Business Development Manager for ITL’s biometrics range commented, “We are delighted to show EuroCIS visitors our full AI-powered biometric range for age checks, digital advertisements and consumer analytics.  Available at a one-off cost including unlimited age checks as standard, our age verification is affordable for all retailers to help them avoid selling age-restricted goods to minors. ICU Lite can be installed directly into self-checkout terminals for automated age checks and MyCheckr is a stand-alone device designed for manned checkouts to give till operators the confidence to ask for ID when recommended. Our technology also uses facial analysis to provide targeted advertising based on customer demographics like age and gender, provides anonymous customer analytics plus has the ability to use facial recognition too.”

Concluding Thorsten said, “At ITL we pride ourselves on being innovative, trusted and established in the industry. We welcome both existing and new customers to booth 9A21 to show how we can help retailers elevate their retail space.”