Lidl is set to become the first UK supermarket chain to introduce Pennies, a digital micro-donation system, to its self-checkouts, according to a Birmingham Live report. The system will allow customers to make small donations to charity when paying by card.
Pennies research suggests that micro-donations could inject £1 billion (approximately $1.2 billion) into the UK charity sector if every UK cardholder contributed 35p (approximately 42 cents USD) a week.
Lidl’s partnership with the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has already raised £10 million (approximately $12 million) since 2017. The self-checkout initiative aims to raise an additional £5 million (approximately $6 million) by 2030 for the NSPCC’s Childline service.
The rollout of the Pennies system will begin at the end of January and will be in place in all Lidl stores by mid-March.