Akatsuki Electric Works Begins Demonstration Experiment of Gift Certificate Reader and Self-Checkout System Integration with Toshiba Tec and Sunplaza

Akatsuki Electric Works (Headquarters: Kusatsu City, Shiga Prefecture, President: Masato Sugiyama) has begun a demonstration experiment in cooperation with Toshiba Tec Corporation (Headquarters: Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo, President: Hironobu Nishikori) and Sunplaza Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Habikino City, Osaka Prefecture, President: Chikara Yamaguchi). The experiment, which started on March 17, 2026, at a Sunplaza store, focuses on the integration of a gift certificate reader with a self-checkout system to achieve labor savings. In the retail industry, the introduction of self-checkout systems is progressing to save labor and improve convenience. However, the use of gift certificates, which often require staff assistance or are prohibited at self-checkouts, hinders these goals. This demonstration connects Akatsuki Electric Works' "Gift Certificate Reader [AES-GTR]" with Toshiba Tec's "PrimeStore" retail store system. It aims to verify labor savings for stores and improved consumer convenience by enabling unmanned processing of gift certificates at self-checkout. Akatsuki Electric Works, a manufacturing company with over 55 years of history, provides high-quality cash-handling equipment such as electronic money charging machines, automatic payment machines, and automatic foreign currency exchange machines. The company, established on May 1, 1969, contributes to societal convenience by pursuing quality and reliability under the brand "ARUNAS." They plan to continue improving convenience for businesses, stores, and customers through further innovation in cash management and cashless solutions. The demonstration experiment is being conducted at Sunplaza Kitanoda store, located at 1084-132 Bell Hill Kitanoda, Higashi-ku, Sakai City, Osaka, from March 17 to April 16, 2026.