British American Tobacco has announced it has partnered with The Channel Islands Co-operative Society Limited and Yoti, a provider of digital identity solutions, to introduce facial age estimation technology in Coop stores.
Live in 10 Coop stores across Jersey, this pilot forms part of British American Tobacco’s commitment to combat underage sales and youth access to its tobacco and nicotine products.
This pilot also marks a significant step forward in supporting Coop’s store colleagues with the challenge of age checking procedures, while also enhancing the overall customer experience through a smoother point of sale.
British American Tobacco (BAT) currently uses Yoti in more than 600 stores across Europe, planning to reach 1,000 by the end of this year. This includes in BAT owned stores in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, with ongoing implementations in Poland, Italy, and Serbia. In traditional retail, projects are being conducted with key retail partners in Greece and Hungary. Additionally, BAT is also piloting Yoti in trade activities where direct consumer interaction occurs, such as in Poland.
Danni Tower, Group Head of Scientific & Regulatory Affairs at BAT, said: “Underage Access Prevention remains our top priority as we address the unintended consequences associated with tobacco and nicotine products.
“Early results show Yoti’s strong potential in supporting us prevent underage access to smokeless products, supporting harm reduction through purpose-driven and world-leading innovation.”
Mark Cox, CEO of the Channel Islands Coop, said: “As the largest retailer in the Channel Islands, we take our responsibilities extremely seriously. Our colleagues are on the front line of enforcing age verification, which can be both challenging and sensitive. By trialing this technology, we’re giving them the tools to uphold our social responsibility promise, ensuring that age-restricted products are only sold to those legally entitled to purchase them.
“This isn’t just about compliance. It’s about protecting young people, supporting our colleagues, and showing leadership in ethical and sustainable retailing. Social responsibility is at the very heart of Coop’s culture, and this initiative reflects our values in action.”
Yoti uses smart, facial age estimation – without inconveniencing adult customers or retailers – to estimate a customer’s age. The customer is required to scan a QR code with their mobile device or use an in-store device, such as a tablet. All customers need to do is take a selfie and the technology estimates their age. The moment their age is estimated, the image is permanently deleted. If the customer is verified as over 18, they can proceed, otherwise additional proof of age needs to be shown to staff. For the Channel Islands pilot, the age threshold is set at 20.
Susanna De Iesu, Commercial Director, BAT UK&I commented: “We are proud to be launching this pilot with Yoti and Coop to jointly demonstrate our commitment to underage access prevention in Jersey. Globally, technology is at the forefront of BAT’s transformation and plays a crucial role in combatting underage access.
“Our partnership with Yoti, an innovative, cost-effective, facial age estimation technology, demonstrates our advancement in technological innovation and provides an extra level of protection to ensure our products are sold solely to adult nicotine consumers.”
Robin Tombs, CEO of Yoti said: “We’re delighted to be working with BAT and the Channel Islands Coop, creating safer retail environments and preventing underage access to age-restricted goods. Our facial age estimation technology helps people to pass age checks without needing to present an ID or wait for staff assistance. It offers a faster, more secure, inclusive and privacy-preserving way for adults to prove they are of legal age to purchase age-restricted goods – while also protecting underage shoppers.
“This partnership demonstrates how the tobacco and nicotine industry can harness technology to uphold age restrictions and prevent youth access, while creating frictionless experiences for adults.”
