2025 RTIH Innovation Awards finalists — Retail Technology Innovation Hub
2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS FINALISTS | Retail Technology Innovation Hub
2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS FINALISTS | Retail Technology Innovation Hub
UK-based student focused marketplace, Hazaar, has officially launched its new e-commerce platform. In its debut drop, it brings together 11 brand partners - including the likes of Hydroflask, Osprey, Elliker, Art of Football, Plastic Freedom, CDG London and EMRLD - to students across the UK. The foc| EdTech Innovation Hub
Last-mile parcel automation provider Cleveron has partnered with delivery experience platform Ingrid to advance the Retail-Driven Open Network across Europe.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
NewStore reports that VEJA, a French footwear brand, is now live on its Omnichannel PoS offering. Initially launched in Denmark, Germany, and the United States, the roll-out will also extend to all of VEJA’s owned stores and department store concession locations across France, Spain, and the United| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Following the launch of LS Eleven Media Services’ latest retail media proposition, Asda Access, in January this year, this has now been extended to include offsite (Meta), onsite (Asda.com) and D2C owned channels including email marketing and Asda Rewards. LS Eleven Media Services has selected LiveR| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Rohlik Group reports that, after four months of preparation and execution, all 12 of its AutoStore systems are now fully operated by its own control system: ARCOS - developed in-house, designed around the European e-grocery specialist’s processes, and optimised for speed, efficiency, and agility.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Sainsbury's has confirmed media reports that it is in talks with Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com over the sale of Argos, which it bought for £1.1 billion in 2016. Argos is the UK’s second largest general merchandise retailer, with the third most visited retail website in the UK and over 1,100 collec| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Peter Robinson has announced his departure from Primark, where he served as Head of Channels Transformation, leading the delivery of the retailer’s channels roadmap for both retail and digital workstreams.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Lifestyle brand BUTLERS has teamed up with Retail7, a subsidiary of GK Software, to roll-out a new checkout solution for over 100 stores in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The project not only included the implementation of classic PoS functions, but also integration into existing central systems| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Exotec has partnered with Polish logistics company ILS Logistics to install its Skypod robotic systems across sites in Central and Eastern Europe. The projects are being carried out in collaboration with Polish integrator A1 Sorter, a long standing partner of Exotec.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Amazon reports that customers in more than 1,000 US cities and towns can now order fresh groceries with their same-day delivery orders, with plans to expand to over 2,300 across the country by year end. People will have the option to order the likes of produce, dairy, meat, seafood, baked goods, an| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Technology company and delivery company Wolt has announced the expansion of its strategic partnership with electronics retailer MediaMarkt. The pair are now partnering in two key markets - Hungary and Austria - to deliver small electronic devices and accessories directly to customers’ doorsteps in a| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Autonomous stores specialist, AiFi, reports a leadership transition, with CEO Steve Carlin transitioning back to his role as Venture Partner at one of itsinvestors, Translink Capital. He will continue to support and advise the company.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Everlane’s e-commerce store has gone live on Shopify, building on its use of the latter’s Shop Pay solution. “What makes this moment special isn’t just the site. It’s the journey,” says Harley Finkelstein, Shopify President. “In his twenties, Michael Preysman left a career in investing to take on an| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Imogen Wethered is stepping into a new position as CEO at EnableAll, a startup that helps Shopify brands tackle accessibility compliance and improve sales, loyalty, and SEO. Wethered co-founded customer experience software firm, Qudini, which launched in 2012 and was acquired by Verint in 2023. She| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Tash Goodman, CEO and Founder at receipts specialist Slip, has taken to social media to flag up three things she hates about the retail industry right now. And we at RTIH are totally with her on all of them. In a LinkedIn post, she said: “These are things I talk about so regularly that my team are s| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Papa Johns has partnered with Retail Assist and Barron McCann to review its UK wide IT support across more than 400 stores. The technology overhaul was prompted by feedback from franchisees concerned about system reliability and the operational disruption caused by technical failures.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
East of England Co-op this week presented its new website to its employees. In a LinkedIn post, it said: “Yesterday was a very exciting day at our support office as we revealed our brand new website to colleagues. As anyone who's been involved with a website development project will know, a huge amo| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Tailored Athlete, a UK-based "perfect muscle fit" clothing brand founded in 2016, has selected Cart.com as its US fulfilment and transportation management services partner. Tailored Athlete will leverage Cart.com's third-party logistics (3PL) solutions and Columbus, OH supply chain hub to| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
New research conducted by VistaPrint has found growing demand for independent shops on UK high streets.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
A new survey has found that two in every three consumers are reluctant to purchase items due to tighter restrictions on returns.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Stephen Regan, Group Board Executive at Primark, has taken to social media to discuss recent store openings in the USA and Europe and a relocation project in the UK. In a LinkedIn post, he said: “September has already been an incredible month for us. In just a few short weeks, we’ve celebrated the o| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
All4Running has gone live with Sitoo’s PoS and Unified Commerce Platform. In a LInkedIn post, Sitoo said: “All4Running is the ultimate destination for runners of every level. Whether you're a seasoned marathoner or just lacing up your first pair of trainers, it has everything you need to hit your st| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
The two organisations will develop a joint offering that combines Exotec’s Skypod AS/RS with E80 Group’s suite of pallet-handling systems.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Thomas Cripps has left Frasers Group, whose brands include Sports Direct, where he served as Digital Platform and Network Security Manager, and has joined branded entertainment destinations specialist Merlin Entertainments as Security Solutions Architect.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Veloq has take to social media to give a first look at its fulfilment centre where the newest robotic arm is officially live and picking customer orders in real-time. In June, we reported that Rohlik Group, a European online grocer and tech specialist founded in 2014 in the Czech Republic, was launc| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Liam O’Neill is starting a new position as Technology Talent Partner at Holland & Barrett. This is a return for him to the retailer (he previously worked there from 2021 to 2022 as Lead Technology Resourcing Partner). He joins from digital assets and Web3 specialist Ledger where he served as Sen| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Currys is investing in the roll-out of electronic shelf edge labels (ESEL) in its stores across the UK and Ireland. Delivered in partnership with ESEL solution supplier Solum and Vestcom for data integration and software, the move forms part of Currys’ push to support colleagues in their day-to-day| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Instacart and Morrisons are teaming up to bring the former’s AI powered Caper Cart smart trolleys to the UK for the first time. These will become available starting in early 2026 at one initial Morrisons store, with the potential for a further roll-out.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
New research from eBay Advertising UK reveals that Brits are putting themselves at the top of their gift lists. A survey of more than 2,000 Christmas shoppers found that 29% tend to spend more on themselves than friends or family at Christmas – jumping to 50% of Millennials.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Retail247 reports that Piglet in Bed, a homeware and lifestyle brand, has selected its Archean solution to manage both its stock management and order management operations. This expanded partnership builds on the brand’s use of Origin, Retail247’s PIM and PLM solution.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Ralph Lauren has introduced Ask Ralph, an AI powered conversational shopping experience. This serves up multiple, shoppable visual laydowns of complete outfits, personalised to a user’s prompts, from across available inventory within the Men’s and Women’s Polo Ralph Lauren brand. Ask Ralph begins ro| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
LocalExpress, an AI native unified commerce platform working with grocery and food retailers across the US, Canada and LatAm, has secured $6.2 million in venture funding led by OXZ Capital. The company says it has built AI powered systems that harmonise and process millions of transactions and inven| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Who is Elijah is teaming up with ProfitPeak to expand into new markets and unlock smarter data driven decisions through Meta and Klaviyo.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Skai, an omnichannel advertising platform for commerce media, has appointed Jeffrey Cohen as Chief Business Development Officer. He joins from Amazon where he spent almost four years, serving as Principal Evangelist, Amazon Ads.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
European home improvement retailer Hornbach Baumarkt has gone live with Solace’s real-time, event driven integration platform as it looks to deliver a faster, more seamless shopping experience, both online and in-store. With over 170 stores across Europe, Hornbach faced the challenge of managing a w| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Keeyu, which detects and fixes e-commerce fulfilment, payment, and delivery issues before customers complain, automating issue resolution, has hooked Decjuba as a customer.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
AdTech firm Criteo has announced a new integration with Google for onsite retail media, initially available through a limited beta to select customers in the Americas. In the first phase of the partnership, Criteo’s network of retailers will be able to opt in to receiving demand from the Google Sear| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Mesterbakeren, a Norway-based fresh bread producers, has selected RELEX Solutions in a bid to strengthen its demand and promotion forecasting. The investment supports Mesterbakeren’s goal of improving forecast accuracy, reducing waste, and ensuring better product availability across the stores it su| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Sainsbury’s celebrated World EV Day by teaming up with Autotrader and Smart Charge to offer its customers a chance to test drive electric vehicles, practice charging and learn more about the Electric Car Grant.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
The company says this marks “significant progress” towards more sustainable last-mile delivery and an 8% increase year-on-year in ‘clean’ deliveries.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Ace Hardware and DoorDash have announced a partnership to offer on-demand delivery of products at over 4,000 locally owned Ace locations across the US. This makes it the first and largest nationwide home improvement co-op retailer available on DoorDash.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
UK fashion footwear brand, Simmi London, has announced a partnership with delivery management solution specialist Scurri. It required a delivery offering that could match the pace and complexity of its multi-channel retail operations, including multiple carrier integrations, dynamic delivery options| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Terrible’s, a specialist in convenience retailing with more than 190 stores across Nevada, California, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, has launched a new mobile app experience. This features a Shop, Spin, & Win game, which rewards qualified purchases with a spin of a customised, in-app prize wheel| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Office Depot has announced the launch of its 15-Minute Pickup Promise, now available at Office Depot and OfficeMax stores across the US. Customers can pick up qualifying online or mobile orders in-store or curbside in 15 minutes.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Simbe, whose Store Intelligence platform includes the Tally autonomous shelf-scanning robot, has appointed Jane Azzinaro as Director of Client Strategy and Value Realisation for EMEA. Her CV includes stints at Cognizant, Kearney, and Deloitte.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Time is fast running out to enter the seventh edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards, sponsored by Vista Technology Support, 3D Cloud, EdTech Innovation Hub, and Retail Technology Show. Deadline for submissions is Friday, 19th September. The awards celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving om| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
finmid reports that its embedded lending infrastructure is now available in 30 European markets. The company has added Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, France, Hungary, Ireland, Malta, Romania, Iceland and Switzerland to the list of countries it is serving.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Claimit, whose AI powered platform automates courier claims for e-commerce companies, reports that share that Bart Swanson has joined the startup as a strategic advisor. “Bart is currently an advisor to Horizons Ventures and serves on the board at Zoom, Impossible Foods, Otter.ai as well as having h| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Sebastian Green is joining Primis CX as CTO. His CV includes stints at Club L London, Fox Group International, CurentBody, and Chef Works. “This is a massive step towards our future goals and vision for the company; more so as we double down in the MENA region for 2026,” says Rebecca Griffiths, Foun| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Portugal-based grocery retailer, MC, part of Sonae Group, has switched to StrongPoint’s Order Picking solution. This will used across all Continente grocery stores that process e-commerce orders, as well as in Wells stores, a health, wellness and beauty retail chain. The solution will be implemented| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
alentr, a contextual AI pricing platform, has announced the appointment of Meghan Stabler as Co-Founder and Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Stabler, who previously held senior marketing roles at BigCommerce and ThriveCart, will spearhead the company’s marketing, partner management and brand strategy| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Fabric is launching a new AI native platform for warehouse fulfillment for retailers and grocers. It claims that Orchestra enables retailers to cut costs, reduce shrink, and deliver better customer experiences, without adding complexity or training burdens. It aims to help teams onboard new employee| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
The Fressnapf Group, a European supplier of pet supplies with over 2,750 stores in 15 European countries, is taking the next step in its digital transformation push as it migrates its store services to the cloud-based retail platform GK CLOUD4RETAIL.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
DoorDash has announced the roll-out of all night delivery (9pm-8am) for Waffle House, powered exclusively by its Drive on-Demand offering. Customers can place orders directly through order.wafflehouse.com or the company’s mobile app.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Greeting card specialist thortful has announced plans to scale its Face Swap tool after customers completed more than 250,000 swaps since its launch in January 2025. In what it previously called an industry first, the solution allows users to merge photographs of faces into its cards using facial ma| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Jetbeep, which provides software for autonomous parcel lockers, has inked a five-year strategic partnership with Omniva, the national postal operator of Estonia, providing technology for its Picapac network of community lockers in the Baltics.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
MetaRouter reports that Nikhil Raj, its current President, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer. He brings to the role over two decades of experience in retail media, data and consumer technology underpinned by machine learning. Raj co-founded Walmart’s ads business, WMX (now Walmart Connect)| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Dobbies Garden Centres is working with Adyen on a project covering payments in-store and online, supporting retail, restaurants and experiences. In doing so, it says that it is gaining real-time insights that enable colleagues to resolve payment queries in under ten minutes (down from up to three ho| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Paula Bobbett is this week starting a new position as Chief Data and Digital Officer at Boots UK. She has been at the UK health and beauty retailer for almost five years and moves up from the role of Chief Digital Officer.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Manesh Nana has left Unilever (where he served as CFO - Foods North America) to join Wonder, a food delivery and technology startup founded in 2018 and fronted by former Walmart U.S. eCommerce executive, Marc Lore. He is taking on the role of VP of Strategic Finance, having spent almost four years a| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Strongbow has partnered with marketing agency, Purple Goat, part of WPP Media, to become the first major alcohol brand in the world to add an assistive technology feature directly to its packaging. Strongbow’s cider products now feature a NaviLens QR code, a smartphone readable marker that helps bl| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Matt McLellan has been appointed as Group Customer, Data & Media Director at Morrisons. He joins from Asda where he spent five and a half years, serving as Vice President - Customer Planning and Proposition. Prior to that, he was at Tesco (Group Customer Propositions Director) and dunnhumby (Man| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Primark has completed a major automation in the supply chain project in Europe. In a LinkedIn post, Jorge Paloma, Head of Logistics Mainland Europe, said: "After nearly four years of planning, we have inaugurated the fully automated phase two of our logistics centre in Bor (Czech Republic).&quo| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
M&S has written to customers informing them that some of their personal data has been taken during a cyber attack. The retailer was hit by the attack some three weeks ago and is struggling to get services back to normal, with online orders still suspended and many store shelves empty.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
As global conflicts, extreme weather and changing consumer behaviour put pressure on supply chains, a London Tech Week panel of leaders from Tesco, Unilever and DHL shared how they are using new technology to mitigate risks and increase efficiency.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Instacart reports that, starting 30th June, Costco executive members in the US and Canada will receive a $10 monthly credit on an order of $150 or more. This can be used on same-day delivery orders on sameday.costco.com, sameday.costco.ca, or orders via Instacart. Instacart enables delivery of Costc| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
SuperValu, a Musgrave Group owned supermarket chain that operates throughout Ireland, has been testing out Simbe’s Tally in-store shelf scanning robot. A trial got underway in two stores in October. This, according to the retailer, has been “very successful” at keeping shelves stocked.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Shirine Khoury-Haq, Group CEO at Co-op, has emailed the company’s member-owners after it admitted to the media last week that a cyber attack on its systems had resulted in signifcant amounts of customer data being stolen. Some stores have also been left with empty shelves and only able to accept cas| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
TCS is conducting an internal investigation over whether it was the gateway for the cyber attack on Marks & Spencer. The Indian IT giant has provided services to M&S for more than a decade.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Customer data platform firm Ometria has announced Boden as its newest client. Boden was looking to bring all of its systems and data sources together under one roof, enabling the team to unlock the next level of personalisation across every customer touchpoint, from email to SMS and beyond.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Geopolitical conflict and cybersecurity were highlighted as the top threats to UK international supply chains at the 22nd annual industry debate of global supply chain and logistics consultancy, SCALA, last week.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Lula Commerce, a provider of AI driven digital commerce solutions for convenience retailers, reports the launch of United Pacific's flagship convenience store brands, Rocket and Alta Convenience, on its platform.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Omnichannel pet retailer, PetSmart, has announced a partnership with delivery network Skip. Canadians can now order over 15,000 PetSmart products directly on the latter’s platform, ranging from premium food and litter to toys and accessories. Skip's latest ad spot features actor Jon Hamm wandering t| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Marks and Spencer has contacted customers to inform them that it is beginning to take online orders again after pulling the plug in April following a cyber attack. People are now able to buy a selection of its fashion products for home delivery in England, Scotland and Wales. More fashion, beauty an| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Currys has partnered with WelcoMe, an inclusive platform that allows customers with additional needs to pre-book a personalised shopping experience in its stores.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
IRCODE, a technology platform transforming content into scannable, interactive media, has announced a partnership with BEONDTV, a digital and broadcast network known for lifestyle, travel, and talk programming. The integration debuts what is pitched as a first of its kind interactive television exp| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Defender is tapping 3D anamorphic content on ‘The Hundred,’ a 100-yard LED screen inside the Oculus at Westfield World Trade Center. A new campaign marks the debut of immersive, DeepScreen 3D creative on the media network at the destination, with the aim of transforming everyday foot traffic into fr| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Matt Berrey has been appointed as Programme Manager by VusionGroup, a specialist in digitalisation solutions for physical commerce. A retail technology sector veteran, his CV includes stints at Sensormatic as Head of Operations and ShopperTrak (Operations Manager).| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
In a UK first, Morrisons is testing out Simbe’s Tally in-store shelf scanning robot. Thanks to Toby Pickard, Retail Futures Senior Partner at IGD, and a member of the judging panels for the RTIH AI in Retail Awards and 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, for bringing this to our attention.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Believ, a UK-based electric vehicle charge point operator, has secured a £300 million investment facility to install 30,000 new public EV charge points across the UK. The company says that retail and hospitality venues are ideal locations for this push, offering drivers the convenience of shopping o| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Michelle Howchin has left Asda where she spent the past five years, most recently serving as E-commerce Delivery Director. Prior to that, she held the role of Senior Director Legacy Transformation at George at Asda.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
Consumers and commerce sit at the heart of business, yet too often they are treated as an after thought in the technology conversation. So says Kate Hardcastle, aka The Customer Whisperer, and author of The Science of Shopping, which is available globally from 24th June. For this reason, Hardcastl| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
JD Trafford Centre is now open, and it’s the retailer’s biggest ever store. Opening weekend kicked off with exclusive giveaways, customisation labs, sneaker care services, and live brand activations from Nike, adidas Originals, Puma Group, Unlike Humans and Crep Protect.| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
A new service is launching this week at Ikea Rhodes in Sydney, allowing customers to shop and pick up their orders during the early morning or late into the evening. 54 new pick-up lockers have landed in the car park, located near the existing Ikea Click and Collect area. Customers can pick up their| Retail Technology Innovation Hub
