British supermarket chain Tesco has launched its famed Korean subway concept into London’s Gatwick airport.

The launch, aptly timed for the 2012 London Olympics, features 10 screens in the airport’s departure lounge with images of Tesco’s most popular products.

Much like the Korean subway roll-out, potential customers walking past the stand are tempted to buy these products virtually using their smartphones.

Tesco’s Home Plus first rolled out the concept midway through 2011 and was quickly replicated by other retailers, including Woolworths and The Co-Op Bookshop in Australia.

The Korean subway virtual grocery store was reported to have increased the market’s sales by 130 per cent, with over 10,000 customers trialling the innovation.

Tesco is now hoping to capitalise on the growth of smartphone use in the UK with a similar approach in Britain.

Nearly one in seven online grocery orders today involve the use of a smartphone in an market worth an estimated £4.5bn, reports The Guardian.

Tesco reportedly controls half of all those online grocery orders.