If you do your weekly supermarket shop, you’ll know that getting everything into the trolley is only half the job. There is still the queue, unloading all those groceries at the till waiting for them to be scanned and then packing everything up again. Alcampo is offering shoppers another way to do it, allowing them to scan their own shopping with their mobile phones as they walk around the store. The service, called AutoScan, lets customers scan each product before putting it into their trolley or basket.

Instead of waiting until they reach the checkout, they can build their shopping basket on their phone as they move through the aisles.  When they have finished, the contents can be transferred to the till without scanning every item again. AutoScan is integrated into the existing Club Alcampo app and was developed with shopreme, a company specialising in digital self-checkout technology. Customers do not need to download a separate app, but they must be Club Alcampo members.

AutoScan is being introduced across Alcampo stores

The service was first introduced in July this year, with an initial rollout covering around 40 stores in Madrid, Cataluña and Castilla-La Mancha. Alcampo plans to extend AutoScan progressively across its Spanish network before the end of 2026. 

It has not announced a confirmed date for when every branch will have the service, so customers should check whether it is available at their local supermarket. Traditional tills remain available for customers who would rather shop as they always have. AutoScan is an additional option, not a replacement for the existing checkout arrangements.

How to scan your shopping with your phone

To use AutoScan, shoppers need the Club Alcampo app on their mobile and must be inside a participating store. They can start a shopping session by scanning the code displayed in the supermarket or using the geolocation function available in the app. The phone’s camera is then used to read the barcode on each product. Shoppers scan an item before placing it in the trolley or basket, and it is added to their digital shopping list. They can continue doing this throughout the shop, rather than having to remember everything they have picked up.

Once they have finished, they select the payment option in the app. A QR code is generated, which transfers the digital basket to the checkout. There is an important detail for anyone expecting a completely phone-based payment system: AutoScan does not mean customers necessarily pay directly through the app. Payment is still completed at a checkout. 

In stores with Alcampo’s Cajamiga self-service tills, shoppers can use one of those machines. Where that facility is not available, they need to go to an assisted checkout. The difference is that the products have already been scanned during the shop. Customers do not have to unload the trolley and put every item through the checkout scanner again before paying.

Staff will still be available to help

Alcampo says employees will be on hand to explain how the service works and help customers who have difficulty using it. Store staff have received specific training to support shoppers using AutoScan and deal with problems during the process.

The range of products available through the service may vary according to the store, its format and the merchandise it stocks. That means the experience may not be identical in every branch, even where AutoScan is available. Customers who do not want to use the app can continue to shop and pay through the existing checkout facilities.

Alcampo’s move towards mobile shopping

The partnership with shopreme brings mobile scanning into Alcampo’s existing app and links the digital basket with the supermarket’s checkout systems. Shopreme says its technology is used in more than 2,000 stores across 12 countries.

For Alcampo, the service adds another digital option without requiring customers to use a separate application or a supermarket-issued scanner. The retailer expects to have AutoScan in all its Spanish stores before the end of 2026. Until then, customers will need to check whether their local branch has introduced the service before setting off with their shopping list.

Residents across Malaga Province have been hit by electricity cuts, with faults affecting up to eight municipalities and more than 1,100 customers caught up in a separate overnight outage in Campanillas.

The latest problems were reported on Sunday, November 1, with interruptions affecting parts of Malaga city, Alhaurin de la Torre, Alhaurin el Grande, Marbella, Velez-Malaga, Nerja, Benamargosa and Benamocarra, with the interruptions attributed to faults on the local electricity distribution network.

The worst individual incident was reported in Santa Rosalía-Maqueda, in the Campanillas district of Malaga, where residents lost their electricity at approximately 9pm on Saturday, October 31.

According to the distribution network’s recorded data, 1,141 homes were initially affected. The initial restoration estimate provided by Endesa was 11am on Sunday, but residents were still reporting problems after that deadline. The other interruptions were recorded in separate locations, rather than being part of one province-wide blackout.

Where are the latest power cuts?

According to electricity distributor e-distribución, a subsidiary of Endesa, the reported faults covered several neighbourhoods and streets.

In Malaga city, affected locations included the historic centre, Camino Suárez, Calle Tomás de Cózar, near Plaza de La Merced, Calle Dos Aceras, Calle Hilera and the area around Calle Venegas.

Other reported locations included:

• Alhaurin de la Torre: Calle de Las Eras.
• Alhaurin el Grande: Parts of the San Anton neighbourhood, near Calle Molinos de Arriba.
• Marbella: Costabella, including Calle Costa del Sol.
• Velez-Malaga: Around Calle Aloe Vera and Rio Seco.
• Nerja: Avenida Castilla Pérez.
• Benamargosa and Benamocarra: Further interruptions were reported in both municipalities.

The faults were described as separate incidents affecting local sections of the distribution network. Not every resident in the eight municipalities was without electricity.

Residents can check the official e-distribución breakdown map for updates and estimated restoration times. The company’s free breakdown telephone number is 900 878 212.

Possible transformer fire behind overnight outage

The prolonged interruption in Santa Rosalía-Maqueda is being investigated separately. Local reports suggest that the incident may have involved a fire at an electrical transformer, with residents describing smoke and what they believed was an explosion near electrical equipment.

However, the precise circumstances have not been officially confirmed. The interruption began at approximately 9pm on Saturday, with e-distribución’s recorded start time given as 9.14pm. More than 1,100 customers were listed as affected.

The original restoration estimate of 11am on Sunday was not met, leaving residents concerned about how long repairs might take.

The incident is particularly concerning because residents had already complained about repeated electricity interruptions in the area. In May, there were almost daily power cuts in Santa Rosalía-Maqueda, usually lasting around four minutes and occurring around lunchtime.

Endesa subsequently installed additional protection equipment at the Campanillas substation in an attempt to resolve those earlier problems.

Why are electricity problems becoming a concern in Malaga?

The latest interruptions come against a background of growing concern about the capacity of Malaga’s electricity infrastructure. The province has experienced rapid residential, commercial and tourism development, but the expansion of its electricity distribution network has struggled to keep pace.

In October, Malaga Mayor Francisco de la Torre warned that insufficient electricity capacity was holding back major residential and industrial developments. Around 13,500 planned homes in Malaga city were reported to be affected by a lack of available electricity capacity.

The president of Malaga’s provincial government, Francisco Salado, also warned that the shortage was affecting investment and economic development, with approximately 25,000 homes across the province reportedly facing electricity supply constraints.

The problem is not necessarily a shortage of electricity being generated. Rather, there are concerns about the capacity of the transmission and distribution infrastructure to transport and deliver enough power where it is needed.

The issue is part of a wider national problem. EWN previously examined how electricity grid saturation is affecting Spain’s energy transition, with limited network capacity delaying new connections for businesses and renewable energy projects.

Overloaded transformers have already caused blackouts

There have also been examples of electricity interruptions directly linked to overloaded local networks. In July, approximately 300 residents in the Las Cañadas area of Mijas and neighbouring Fuengirola lost electricity following an overload in the low-voltage network.

Endesa attributed the incident to rising temperatures and increased electricity consumption. Malaga had recorded a then-record electricity demand of 1,490 megawatts on the Thursday before the interruption.

The company subsequently planned a new transformer centre to increase capacity and improve reliability in the neighbourhood. The incident provoked residents to protest on the streets.

New electricity infrastructure will take years

The wider capacity problem is unlikely to disappear any time soon. Plans announced for the province include two new electrical substations and the expansion of an existing one in Cartama.

The projects are intended to provide additional capacity for Malaga city, Antequera and the growing Guadalhorce Valley, including the Malaga TechPark.

The Spanish Government’s proposed electricity network plan to 2030 includes a new Malaga Centro substation, another in Antequera and an expansion of the Cartama facility.

The projects will take time to complete, however, and some infrastructure improvements could be several years away. For residents currently experiencing interruptions, that offers little immediate reassurance.

The latest incidents have again raised questions about whether electricity networks are receiving sufficient investment to cope with Malaga’s expanding population, housing developments and growing demand for power.

Poland’s long-running fight over its top court has turned into open confrontation in Warsaw. On Friday, October 30, judges backed by Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government suspended Constitutional Tribunal president Bogdan Swieczkowski and his deputy for a month. Supporters of the previous nationalist government called it a “coup”, while the prime minister insisted it was the only way to restore proper rule of law after years of political control under Law and Justice (PiS).

Hundreds of people gathered outside the tribunal building as riot police stood guard. Some protesters tried to cut through fences. Three people were detained. President Karol Nawrocki, who was flying to Senegal, ordered his plane to turn around over Malaga, and rushed back to Warsaw. He later pushed past judges at the entrance and described the events as a forcible takeover of a constitutional body.

How the clash began

Judge Anna Korwin-Piotrowska, elected by the current parliamentary majority, suspended tribunal president Bogdan Swieczkowski and his deputy for a month and said she was taking temporary charge. She argued he had blocked new judges from sitting. Those judges had sworn their oaths in parliament after President Nawrocki refused to do it himself. Swieczkowski, a PiS appointee, called the move a “coup d’état”.

Prime Minister Tusk backed the suspension. He said restoring the rule of law after years of PiS control is the government’s duty and that “there is no other way”. Justice Minister Waldemar Zurek also asked for the two men’s immunity to be lifted so they could face charges.

Both sides dig in

Government supporters say PiS packed the tribunal between 2015 and 2023 and that European courts had already raised concerns about some appointments. They claim the suspension simply lets the court function properly again.

Opposition figures, including PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, insist the government has no power to suspend the president, the head of state. They say judges sworn in without the president’s involvement are not legitimate and that the events amount to an illegal takeover. Nawrocki held talks on Saturday, but Tusk’s party stayed away and no agreement was reached. Swieczkowski has said the judges he recognises will boycott a general assembly called by Korwin-Piotrowska for November 3.

Background and what happens next

This row sits on top of a decade of disputes that began when PiS packed the tribunal with its own people. Tusk’s coalition won power in 2023 promising to reverse those changes and unlock EU funds that had been frozen over rule-of-law concerns. Nawrocki’s election as president in 2025 gave the opposition a powerful veto and the ability to slow judicial reforms.

Previous EWN coverage looked at the political gridlock expected after Nawrocki’s win and how Tusk survived a confidence vote amid the fallout.

Protests continued into the weekend, with police still outside the building. Korwin-Piotrowska’s temporary leadership is due to last about a month. Whether the two camps can find any common ground, or whether the standoff simply hardens ahead of the judges’ meeting, remains the open question. For now both sides are digging in, each claiming they are the ones defending Poland’s constitution.