Corporate
Found 897 articles
Jon-Paul Brett leaves Burberry to lead digital transformation at KFC
After a decade overseeing global digital strategy at luxury house Burberry, Jon-Paul Brett has transitioned into the fast-food sector. He joins KFC UK & Ireland as Chief Digital & Technology Officer, tasked with steering the restaurant chain’s aggressive push into artificial intelligence and automated customer service.
Officeworks integrates Snapchat ads into Zitcha retail media platform
Australian retailer Officeworks has become the first global brand to deploy Snapchat’s full suite of advertising formats directly through the Zitcha retail media platform. The integration allows the Wesfarmers-owned company to push sponsored content and dynamic product ads directly into consumer chat feeds, targeting younger, highly engaged audiences.
Barbour Pilots Modular Display System to Slash Retail Refit Costs
Barbour has become the first brand to deploy a British-designed modular retail display system, aiming to modernize store layouts while eliminating the waste and expense of full-scale fixture replacements. The ReFrame system, manufactured by Ripple, debuted at Blenheim Palace to provide a sustainable, adaptable environment for the heritage clothing brand.
Amazon Taps Levi Roots for Caribbean-Flavored Bank Holiday Push
Ahead of the August bank holiday, Amazon has partnered with Reggae Reggae Sauce founder Levi Roots to bring Caribbean-inspired barbecue ingredients to customers via its Amazon Fresh and Amazon Now platforms, offering same-day delivery to select neighborhoods across London and Manchester.
National Merchandise scales arena retail for Ariana Grande’s London residency
As Ariana Grande’s The Eternal Sunshine Tour settles into a ten-night residency at The O2, National Merchandise has launched its most ambitious retail operation to date. The deployment integrates digital ordering systems, including QR codes and Click & Collect, to manage high-volume demand across the venue’s internal and external spaces.
Petsense by Tractor Supply partners with Instacart for rapid delivery
Petsense by Tractor Supply has named Instacart its exclusive same-day delivery partner, enabling customers across the United States to receive pet food and supplies in as little as one hour. The integration allows shoppers to access the retailer’s full inventory through the Instacart app and website without additional markups.
Gatik Secures $200 Million to Scale Autonomous Freight Operations
Autonomous trucking developer Gatik has raised $200 million in a Series D funding round, signaling a shift from experimental pilot programs to large-scale commercial deployment. The capital injection arrives as the company faces surging demand for driverless freight solutions across the grocery, retail, and consumer packaged goods supply chains.
Christine Foster joins The Home Depot to lead Orange Apron Media
The Home Depot has appointed Christine Foster as General Manager and Vice President of Orange Apron Media, the retailer’s growing retail media arm. Foster, who previously served as Group Vice President of Commercial Strategy and Operations at Kroger Precision Marketing, will step into the new role effective September 8.
Swedish startup eComID secures $17 million for AI-driven shopping tool
Swedish retail technology startup eComID has secured $17 million in a seed funding round led by Systemiq Capital, aiming to scale its international operations and further develop its AI-powered Shopping Passport, a tool designed to provide personalized consumer context across multiple digital storefronts.
Retail Tech Hot 100 highlights industry shift toward data foundations
The inaugural Retail Technology Hot 100 list has officially launched, signaling a pivot in industry priorities. Rather than favoring flashy AI demonstrations, the selection highlights companies focused on solving fundamental retail challenges—specifically improving data visibility, inventory intelligence, and the infrastructure required for the next decade of commerce.
Greggs and B&M ramp up AI leadership search
The UK high street is pivoting toward aggressive automation, with bakery chain Greggs and value retailer B&M actively recruiting for new Heads of Data and AI. These roles signal a broader industry push to transition artificial intelligence from experimental tech to a core driver of retail operations and business strategy.
The Invisible Friction: How Tech is Rewiring the Consumer Checkout
A quick search for a discount code before hitting 'buy' has become the modern shopper's reflex, turning price sensitivity into a digital sport. This shift highlights how retail technology now operates in the background, subtly dictating which brands earn a sale and which are left behind in the browser tab.
Post Office taps OneView Commerce for £141m Horizon replacement
The Post Office has awarded a £141 million contract to OneView Commerce to overhaul its legacy Horizon system. This initiative marks a significant step in the organization's five-year transformation plan, aiming to replace outdated branch technology with a cloud-native platform designed for modern retail and mobile services.
The Invisible Leak: Why Retail Browser Sessions Are Failing
A merchandising team checks pricing in a coffee shop; a supply chain manager logs into a portal from an airport lounge. While retailers obsess over encrypted payment gateways, these routine browser sessions remain wide open, creating a massive, overlooked entry point for credential theft and lateral network attacks.
Everseen, Hanshow and OpenAI Lead Inaugural RTIH Retail Tech Hot 100
The Retail Technology Innovation Hub has unveiled its inaugural Hot 100 list, highlighting the global companies currently reshaping the retail landscape. Selected through a combination of expert panel evaluations and public voting, the ranking prioritizes ventures that demonstrate genuine technical innovation, clear strategic utility, and proven deployment success.
Closing the gap between store reality and digital intelligence
Retailers are currently drowning in a flood of minor, disconnected signals—from missed scans at self-checkouts to empty shelves—that often go unnoticed until the window for effective intervention has closed. Joe White, CEO of Everseen, argues that the future of physical retail depends on unifying these events into a single, real-time intelligence loop.
Uber Eats launches robot delivery in Finland
Autonomous delivery arrives in the European Union this week as Uber Eats partners with Coco Robotics to deploy sidewalk robots in Helsinki. The move marks a strategic expansion for the platform in Finland, where the service has grown to 11 cities in just three months of operation.
Nathan Davies joins Marks & Spencer to spearhead data and AI delivery
Nathan Davies has transitioned from the financial sector to retail, stepping into the role of Head of Data & AI Delivery at Marks & Spencer. His appointment marks a strategic move for the retailer as it seeks to integrate advanced technology into its core operations and business performance.
Kroger and Instacart integrate grocery and pharmacy delivery
Kroger customers across the United States can now consolidate grocery shopping and pharmacy needs into a single Instacart order. The service, which spans nearly all Kroger banners including Ralphs and Fred Meyer, allows users to receive eligible prescriptions alongside their groceries, delivered directly from more than 2,200 pharmacy locations.
UNIQLO Expands London Presence With New Canary Wharf Store
Japanese retail giant UNIQLO is the latest brand to join the lineup at Canary Wharf, signaling continued growth for the East London destination. The arrival of the global fashion retailer comes as the estate reports near-total occupancy, bolstered by a surge in footfall and a diversifying mix of leisure and retail tenants.
Spider-Man film launch triggers surge in Scotland retail footfall
The release of Spider-Man: Brand New Day has transformed GRID Braehead into a case study for leisure-led retail. On its opening day alone, the Scottish destination saw a 73.5% year-on-year spike in visitors, proving that cinematic blockbusters can effectively turn quiet midweek sessions into high-traffic events.
SPAR taps ZetaDisplay to launch Central European retail media network
SPAR is rolling out its first retail media network across Central Europe in partnership with digital signage specialist ZetaDisplay. The initiative, which began with a pilot program, aims to transform physical stores into dynamic advertising channels by integrating data-driven content management across hundreds of new and existing in-store displays.
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Causee readies UK launch for non-profit secondhand fashion marketplace
A new UK-based online marketplace, Causee, is set to debut this autumn with a business model designed to redirect surplus profits directly to charity. By leveraging buyer protection fees to cover operational costs, the platform aims to integrate social impact into the resale of pre-owned fashion and artisan goods.
Mulberry to open flagship store at Liverpool ONE
Mulberry is set to open a 979 sq ft boutique at Liverpool ONE this November, securing a prominent location on Peter’s Lane. The move marks a strategic effort by the luxury brand to bolster its presence in the UK market by targeting high-performance retail hubs with proven footfall and spending potential.
Pop Mart turns blind box collecting into a digital logic puzzle
Pop Mart’s new Pop Now feature attempts to gamify the blind box experience by allowing online shoppers to shake virtual packages for clues, effectively turning a standard purchase into a high-stakes game of deduction that even invites AI intervention to beat the odds.
Final 150 passes released for retail and hospitality workforce summit
With the Workforce Innovation Retail & Hospitality ConfEx set for September 10 at London’s Protein Studios, organizers have announced that only 150 complimentary passes remain for the event. The gathering aims to address acute industry pressures, including staff shortages, rising labor costs, and evolving legislative mandates.
Walmart Ends Holdout Against Apple and Google Pay
After years of resisting third-party contactless payments, Walmart is finally integrating tap-to-pay options across its US stores and Sam’s Club locations. The retailer plans to complete the rollout of support for services like Apple Pay and Google Pay by the end of this year, with fuel stations following by mid-2027.
Tesco expands UK trial of Simbe autonomous inventory robots
Tesco is scaling its UK pilot of Simbe’s Tally, an autonomous shelf-scanning robot designed to track inventory in real time. Initially confined to a single location, the retailer has now introduced the technology to additional branches, signaling a broader commitment to integrating robotics into the physical shopping environment.
Starship Technologies Withdraws Delivery Robots from Sheffield
Conflict has forced Starship Technologies to pull its autonomous delivery fleet from Sheffield streets. While the company characterizes the move as a planned conclusion to its pilot program, the operation faced persistent interference, including vandalism, aggressive graffiti, and physical blockades designed to immobilize the units during food delivery rounds.
Retail Tech Roundup: From TikTok Shops to Autonomous Kitchens
The retail landscape is shifting toward automated convenience and social commerce, as brands like Yankee Candle embrace TikTok Shop and Murphy USA deploys autonomous kitchen platforms. These moves reflect a broader industry push to integrate high-tech solutions directly into the customer experience, whether through mobile apps, robotics, or frictionless checkout systems.