THE Margin is keeping a close eye on the British supermarket giant Safeway and the threat to revolutionise the weekly shop.

Safeway, it seems, has just begun a month long trial at one of its stores in Surrey of a portable scanner which allows shoppers to register their purchases - thus putting an end to the dreaded checkout.

This seems extraordinarily similar to the system that Feargal Quinn has up and running at his store in Lucan, long before Safeway started checkout free shopping in Reigate. Hats off to the supermarket senator.