A U.K. supermarket chain is testing a mobile app with MasterCard that enables shoppers to scan and pay for items without the need to visit a checkout counter, according to multiple media reports.

Co-op is testing the mobile app at the retailer's support center in Manchester, with a wider rollout beginning as early as this summer, according to a press release. The supermarket said it expects to also test the app at a store located in the U.K. headquarters of Microsoft in Reading.

"It is a challenging market place for retailers, and the Co-op is responding positively," Matthew Speight, director of retail support at the Co-op, said in the release. "Our ambition is to harness technology to deliver the shopping experience that our diverse customer-base requires — when, where and how they need it."

Co-op will continue to offer shoppers conventional checkout options once a full app rollout is in place.

The technology associated with the app will also link information from a customer's Co-op Membership account — telling shoppers how much they have saved and, how much the Co-op will donate to local good causes following the transaction. Members receive a 5 percent reward when they buy own brand products and services, with the Co-op donating a further 1 percent to good causes, according to the release.