Selver Deploys a Gausium Retail Cleaning Robot Fleet Across Estonia

Following a winter pilot in five stores, Estonia’s retail technology pioneer is rolling out 11 Gausium robots in 2026, growing to 36 by 2027, through a full-service rental program with local distributor Avera.

Overview

Shoppers at Selver supermarkets in Estonia are getting used to a new kind of colleague on the shop floor. It moves calmly through the aisles, politely asks for the right of way in Estonian, and announces when it’s time to make the floors shine. Following a successful winter pilot, Selver is rolling out a fleet of Gausium retail cleaning robots — the Omnie for large-format supermarket floors and the Phantas for smaller stores and upper floors — across its network. Eleven robots are being deployed in 2026, with the fleet planned to grow to 36 units by 2027, delivered through a two-year full-service rental program with Avera, Gausium’s Estonian distributor. It’s the latest step in Selver’s long track record of technology adoption, from self-checkout counters to its mobile app.

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The Challenge: Keeping Supermarket Floors Spotless Through the Muddy Season

Supermarkets are among the most demanding environments for floor care. High foot traffic, long opening hours, and constant exposure to dirt tracked in from outside mean floors need attention throughout the day — and in Estonia’s wet winter months, the challenge multiplies. During the muddy season, floors require far more frequent scrubbing than usual, stretching cleaning teams thin and pulling them away from detail work that machines cannot do.

Selver needed a solution that could take over the repetitive, time-consuming task of machine-scrubbing large floor areas — reliably, safely, and in a busy public space filled with customers, carts, and children.

The Solution: A Retail Cleaning Robot Fleet Matched to Each Store

Selver is deploying two Gausium models, each matched to a different store format. The Omnie handles large-format supermarket floors, while the Phantas is deployed in Selver’s smaller-format stores — up to roughly 2,000 m² — and on the second floors of larger supermarkets, where its more compact footprint is better suited to tighter layouts. In 2026, Selver is bringing on 8 Omnie and 3 Phantas units, with a further 4 Omnie and 21 Phantas units planned for 2027 as the rollout extends deeper into the smaller-store network. Depending on how the Phantas performs operationally through 2026, Avera and Selver may adjust the 2027 order toward Mira, another compact retail cleaning robot by Gausium.

Navigating independently among shoppers, the robots use intelligent sensors to detect people and obstacles, stopping or safely maneuvering around them. They signal as they move, explain what they are doing, and — localized to speak Estonian — have quickly become a familiar and friendly presence in stores.

“The robot is very polite — it signals as it moves, explains what it’s doing, and always stops if someone crosses its path. Children get the most excited about it, but adults often stop to watch it too.”

— Silvia Saks, Procurement Manager, Selver

When a cleaning route is complete, each robot returns to recharge on its own before starting the next run — keeping floors consistently clean with minimal human intervention. The entire fleet is delivered under a two-year full-service rental program through Avera, so Selver scales its cleaning coverage without owning or maintaining the hardware directly.

Proven in the Toughest Conditions

Before the wider rollout, the robots went through a rigorous pilot at five Selver stores at the beginning of the year — deliberately timed to coincide with the muddy winter season, when floors demand the most care. The challenging conditions proved exactly what Selver needed to see: the robots handled the workload reliably, day after day.

The pilot confirmed something else, too: customers genuinely welcomed the new helpers. For many shoppers, the Estonian-speaking robot has become an attraction in its own right, adding a small moment of surprise and delight to the everyday shopping trip.

Empowering Staff, Not Replacing Them

The biggest fans of the new robots are Selver’s own store teams. By taking over floor scrubbing — one of the most repetitive and physically demanding cleaning tasks — the fleet frees employees to focus on work only a human can do: thorough cleaning of shelf edges, shopping baskets, carts, and other high-touch surfaces.

“The robot doesn’t replace cleaning staff or take anyone’s job. On the contrary — it helps us work smarter and gives employees more time for the tasks where the human contribution matters most.”

— Silvia Saks, Procurement Manager, Selver

Results

• Reliable autonomous cleaning proven under peak-season conditions, with the pilot conducted during Estonia’s demanding muddy winter months
• 11 robots deployed in 2026 — 8 Omnie and 3 Phantas — with a further 25 units planned for 2027, growing the fleet to 36 robots
• Store-format-matched deployment: Omnie for large supermarket floors, Phantas for stores up to ~2,000 m² and second-floor retail spaces
• Staff time redirected to high-value detail cleaning of shelves, baskets, carts, and other surfaces
• Positive customer reception, with the robots becoming a talking point and attraction for shoppers of all ages
• Flexible, service-backed scaling through a two-year full-service rental program with Avera, removing ownership and maintenance burden from Selver

Scaling Up Across Estonia

The first robots are already at work, with the 2026 deployment of 8 Omnie and 3 Phantas units reaching stores across Selver’s network. In 2027, Selver plans to add 4 more Omnie units and 21 more Phantas-line robots — bringing the total fleet to 36 — as the rollout extends further into smaller-format stores and second-floor retail spaces. For a retailer that helped normalize self-checkout and mobile shopping in Estonia, a fleet of autonomous cleaning robots is simply the next chapter — and a signal of where modern grocery retail is heading.

About Avera

Avera, founded in 1993, is one of Estonia’s leading B2B companies serving the professional cleaning sector, representing worldwide leading cleaning-technology brands. Avera has worked closely with Gausium for three years as its Estonian distributor, employs 15 people, and operates stock and service centers in both Tallinn and Tartu — supporting the Selver deployment with local installation, service, and the full-service rental program.

About Gausium

Gausium is a leading company of AI-powered autonomous cleaning solutions with more than 6,500 customers in more than 70 countries and regions. Products and services of Gausium include commercial floor cleaning robots, docking stations, cloud platform and application software, and more in the pipeline. Driven by a vision to lead the intelligent digital transformation of the cleaning and service industry, Gausium offers the world’s most comprehensive portfolio of commercial cleaning robots, empowering individuals to work smarter and lead more fulfilling lives.