Located at Esplanade Xchange, Hive 2.0 introduces about 10 unique retail experiences focusing on automation, robotics and digital retail services. This includes 7-Eleven’s first self-checkout store in Singapore, room-sized robotic retail dispensing machines, and self-navigating bots that traverse common spaces, security gantries and lifts when delivering orders.

SINGAPORE, 22 January 2024 — Stellar Lifestyle, a business arm of SMRT, today announced the launch of Hive 2.0, its retail innovation hub at Esplanade Xchange, located within the Esplanade MRT station along Raffles Boulevard.

Hive 2.0 is Stellar Lifestyle’s showcase of how it envisions the future of retail innovation through the lens of technology, enhancing the vibrancy of space around it and creating new commuter experiences. Commuters can experience about 10 unique retail concepts, mostly developed by up-and-coming local startups, within the 3,200 sq ft innovation space daily from 9 am to 6 pm.

Mr Tony Heng, President of Stellar Lifestyle, said, “Hive by Stellar Lifestyle continues to support Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) by introducing and validating innovations. This year, Hive 2.0 will leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics and connected networks to help our merchant partners become more operationally resilient. We designed these innovations to leverage our extensive rail network, allowing us to create new in-store experiences where consumers can enjoy greater convenience and enhanced retail experiences. This platform is a showcase of how Stellar Lifestyle envisions the future of retail innovation, and could scale across the train network in the future.”

Office workers at South Beach Tower will be able to use a first-of-its-kind robo-delivery service from the Esplanade MRT station to their office building, ordering items from 7-Eleven through the QuikBot portal. For the first time in Singapore, QuikBot’s delivery robots will courier purchases independently, consolidate multiple orders on bigger robots with a fleet of smaller robots autonomously, navigate up and down lifts and through gantries across multiple buildings, and deliver them to the exact office floor.

Quikbot’s robots will be exchanging items with each other to maximise logistics efficiency, and they will also be the first to self-navigate on public sidewalks as they move between Esplanade MRT and South Beach Tower.

Other unique highlights include a room-sized robotic retail dispensing machine developed by Mr. R Robotics, and a showcase of local Singapore brands curated by local space aggregator Yzel, a pop-up sampling solution that allows merchants to offer their products to customers on a short-term basis in curated retail spaces.

First launched in 2022, the Hive innovation hub connects Stellar Lifestyle and hundreds of its tenants with partners in the technology ecosystem. Hive 2.0 features a new lineup of startups and partners, including select startups from Stellar Lifestyle’s Stellarate Innovation programme.

Other exciting innovative retail concepts by Stellar Lifestyle include 7-Eleven’s “Shop & Go” – its first self-checkout retail store where commuters can tap their credit card to enter, pick out items, and the store will automatically charge items to their card as they walk out. This is also the first automated self-checkout store in an MRT station in Singapore. In the coming months, commuters can also order bubble tea while they are on the train and pick it up from JAVIS, a robot bubble tea store, when they arrive at Hive 2.0.

The featured technologies are used to help retailers improve business efficiency and deal with issues such as rising workforce and logistic costs, while simultaneously providing commuters with unique retail experiences.

Hive 2.0 demonstrates Stellar Lifestyle’s iterative approach to developing solutions that support its retail partners, benefit the local community and transform retail at MRT stations into vibrant lifestyle destinations. This goal is achieved through placemaking, by incorporating new technologies, creating new commuter experiences, and reimagining the use of existing spaces.

Other exciting commuter experiences by Stellar Lifestyle include the sprawling 22,000 sq ft Timezone at Orchard Xchange and the bustling bazaar at Dhoby Xchange with its eclectic range of F&B and lifestyle outlets.

Convenience through innovation

The Hive 2.0 retail and technology partners include:

• 7-Eleven “Shop & Go”: 7-Eleven’s first self-checkout retail store where commuters can tap their credit card to enter, pick out items, and the store will automatically charge items to their card as they walk out.
• QuikBot:  The final-mile automated delivery platform as a service, servicing South Beach Tower offices. Office workers can place orders online for the 7-Eleven store at Esplanade Xchange and have them delivered to their level. It is the first time in Singapore that a delivery bot can navigate from a transit retail space to an external office building while communicating wirelessly with lifts and security gantries along the way.
• Mr.R Robotics: Singapore’s first adaptive robotics retail store, serving frozen, chilled and ambient products concurrently.
• Yzel: An AI-powered, pop-up sampling solution that helps local brands access complementary physical spaces for product display, sampling and sales.
• IncuBaker: An F&B Incubator offering a co-working kitchen workspace and studio to help aspiring F&B entrepreneurs test and sell their products.
• The Gym Pod: An on-demand fully-private state-of-the-art gym to help health-conscious commuters hit their fitness goals.
• Le Tach Vending: An intelligent vending machine operator that stocks traditional and non-traditional products, ranging from herbal teas to bak kwa (sweetmeat) and fresh fruit.
• Tap Tiles: Tap Tiles is a startup that designs kinetic floor tiles which can harvest clean energy in the form of electricity and data from footsteps while engaging the users in the process..
• BuzzAR: An AI-powered virtual assistant that provides shopping guidance and recommendations to Hive customers.
• JAVIS: An upcoming fully automated bubble tea store that can brew freshly made bubble tea tailored to customers’ preferences.
• NOYES: For retailers, a fully automated nano-warehousing storage solution to support re-stocking and self-collection.