It's Friday, the weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail tech space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from the past few days, including Ikea UK, Matalan, Five Below, poq, Quorso, VoCoVo, AliExpress, Sensei, Muffato Group, Primark, and Co-op.

1. Foot Locker teams with Stylitics as retailer taps AI technology to launch app-based closet builder solution

Foot Locker has developed, in partnership with Stylitics, a new AI powered closet builder, Fits, within its mobile app. In a LinkedIn post, Michael Cera, Interim Head of Product Management and Design at Foot Locker, said: “AI is everywhere. But, at Foot Locker, we challenged ourselves to think about how to improve and make positive change to our customers shopping experience through the use of AI.”

He added: “We engaged with customers, really listened, and in partnership with Stylitics, developed a key new closet builder within the Foot Locker app - let me introduce you to Fits! Start with something you own. Discover personalised outfits built around it. See those looks come to life on a virtual model.”

Customers can upload or take a photo of something they own, discover complete outfits built around it, and visualise those looks on a virtual model. Paired with a cart addition from the model view, the aim is to make purchasing a whole outfit styled around your own products that much easier.

Cera concluded: “This was a collaborative effort across Experience Design, Product Management, E-comm, Brand, and Stylitics, and came to life exactly as we all set out to do. Download or open your Foot Locker app today and give it a try!”

2. Miniso set to replace HMV on London's Oxford Street with opening of 19,000 sq ft flagship store

Miniso is gearing up to open its first Miniso Land store in the UK. The 19,000 sq ft flagship will be located at 363 Oxford Street, London, currently occupied by HMV, and will line up alongside the retailer’s other flagship stores, which includes New York’s Times Square and Paris’s Champs-Élysées, alongside over 8,300 stores globally.

Sam Foyle, Co-head of Global Retail at Savills, which acted for the landlord, says: “We’re seeing continued interest from brands for space on Oxford Street. Pedestrianisation plans have really fuelled momentum over the past year and, as the street enters a more mature stage of recovery, we expect this appetite to continue.”

“Oxford Street is a microcosm of the UK high street, where brands are increasingly focused on creating memorable, experience led destinations. Miniso Land is a great example of that trend, bringing an innovative flagship concept to one of the world’s most recognisable retail locations. Its decision to open at 363 Oxford Street is a strong vote of confidence in London and reinforces Oxford Street’s appeal as a destination for ambitious global brands.”

A Miniso spokesperson says: “London is an important part of our international growth, and bringing Miniso Land to Oxford Street marks an exciting next step. The flagship reflects our long-term commitment to the UK and our ambition to connect people with the characters and stories they love and bring joy to everyday life.”

Earlier this month, HMV announced it intended to vacate the site in March 2027 after three years. It first launched the Oxford Street site in 1921 and reopened it in late 2023 following a four-year absence.

3. Apadmi works with Matalan to build retailer's first fully native mobile app

Matalan reports that its first fully native app has recorded 1.76 million downloads since launching in August, with monthly active users growing by 10% month-on-month since go live. App orders increased 20% year-on-year in August and 28% in September, while conversion has reached 4.4%, ahead of its 3.4% target. Average order value is also 14% higher than on Matalan's website.

Developed in partnership with Apadmi, features include intelligent search to help customers find products more easily, richer product content and streamlined checkout through Apple Pay and Google Pay. 

The app also brings Matalan Me rewards and account information together in one place, making it easier for customers to access their benefits and personalised offers.

It is designed to connect Matalan's digital and physical shopping experiences. An in-store barcode scanning feature allows customers to check product details, availability and reviews using their phones, helping them move more easily between shopping in-store and online.

4. AliExpress and YouTube expand affiliate partnership to four more markets following launch in South Korea

AliExpress has announced a partnership that brings its global product selection into YouTube’s creator ecosystem, giving eligible creators access to various products to feature in their content, along with new commission earning opportunities.

Following the launch of the collaboration in South Korea in March, the partnership will expand to four markets: the United States, Brazil, the United Kingdom and Germany. Further expansion will take place in phases, in line with the roll-out of YouTube’s affiliate programme in new markets.

With YouTube's recent extension of its Shopping Affiliate Programme to eligible creators in Germany and the United Kingdom, the partnership will connect participating creators not only in Europe but also eventually worldwide with AliExpress's product offerings. A particular focus is Brand+ - a dedicated selection of branded products from international and local brands.

Creators can discover and select AliExpress products directly within YouTube Studio. The integration connects AliExpress products with YouTube's three major content formats - long-form videos, shorts, and livestreams - allowing creators to tag shoppable product recommendations across key moments of audience discovery and engagement. 

They can explore AliExpress's products across categories such as consumer electronics, sports and outdoor, home and living, and lifestyle. Using data on bestselling and trending products, they can handpick items that resonate with their audiences. Viewers can link directly from YouTube to AliExpress to complete their purchases.

5. US retailer Five Below taps poq platform for launch of new native iOS and Android mobile apps

poq has announced the launch of new native iOS and Android mobile apps for Five Below. Tiffany D’Amato, Vice President of Digital, Five Below, comments: “Our customers live on their phones, and these apps give them a faster, more engaging way to experience everything they love about Five Below.”

“Partnering with poq allowed us to bring that vision to life quickly and effectively, with a truly native experience built for our shoppers. We’re confident these apps will drive stronger customer engagement and long-term growth for the brand.”

Helen Slaven, Chief Revenue Officer at poq, says: “Five Below is exactly the kind of brand app commerce was made for, with a huge, engaged customer base and a shopping experience built on discovery. We are thrilled to partner with them to turn mobile into an owned channel that retains customers, grows lifetime value and scales with the business.”

A built-in price scanner lets shoppers scan an item in store and check its price and details on the spot, while personalised search helps customers explore the various products Five Below has to offer. Store aware features surface the nearest store and stock availability and push notifications, keep customers close to new arrivals and seasonal drops. The apps are built on poq’s platform and integrated with the Five Below commercetools commerce stack.

6. Quorso and VoCoVo among 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Best Retailer/Technology Supplier Relationship finalists

We’re pleased to announce the shortlist for the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Best Retailer/Technology Supplier Relationship category. We received a record number of entries this year and many fantastic examples of technology excellence driving transformative change across the global retail sector.  

Check out a rundown of our 2026 shortlists and finalists here.

Congratulations to all those who made it through the initial submission process! It’s now over to our star studded judging panel who will decide the winners to be announced at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London.   

The event will be held on Wednesday, 4th November and consist of a drinks reception, three course meal, awards ceremony presided over by award winning stand-up comedian, presenter, actor and broadcaster, Aurie Styla, and after party until 1am.  

Click here to book your place at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, 4th November.

7. Co-op and Devon & Cornwall Police double retail crime cases solves with new reporting system roll-out

The number of retail crime cases solved has almost doubled during a new crime reporting trial between Co-op and Devon and Cornwall Police in the UK.

The partnership, according to those involved, delivers significantly faster justice for offences carried out, with data from Devon & Cornwall Police showing crimes reported through the platform - which is called SentrySIS - achieving a solve rate of almost 60%, which is approaching double the force’s average solve rate for retail crime versus retail crime being reported by those using traditional channels.

Data from Devon & Cornwall Police also revealed that 90% of identified shop theft offenders are repeat offenders, with just 50 individuals responsible for around a quarter of all shop theft offences in the Devon and Cornwall force area, often with more than 100 known offences each.

The new system enables stronger intelligence sharing; improved tracking of repeat offenders - connecting multiple offences committed by the same individual and building stronger cases against prolific offenders and, closer collaboration with police both at a local and central level. 

Store colleagues upload incident details, CCTV, photos and impact statement enabling police to record and allocate the crime in as little 30 minutes - a process that could take police up to seven days. Furthermore, it removes the need for investigating officers to then approach the retailer for evidence, saving time for retailers and resulting in the average time taken for investigations to be completed and assigned an outcome being slashed by more than a third to 35 days.

The success of the pilot has seen the SentrySIS system, which links to Co-op’s wider partnership working with UK Partners Against Crime (UKPAC), now activated across all Co-op stores in Devon and Cornwall, with discussions now underway with additional police forces. Co-op’s own retail crime levels are falling with the retailer expected to see its lowest levels since the pandemic.

8. Ikea stumps up £31.5 million as it looks to make UK fulfilment more efficient and reduce packaging waste

Ikea UK is investing £31.5 million across its Peterborough and Doncaster customer distribution centres (CDC) as the retailer aims to make online fulfilment more efficient and sustainable.

In Peterborough, new technology is packaging customer orders to size and reducing material usage by up to 30%, by preventing waste from oversized boxes and filling paper. In Doncaster, Ikea is trialling a new regional fulfilment capability, serving customers in the north and Scotland from a closer location to them.

The investments will strengthen Ikea’s UK fulfilment network as online sales account for 43.3% of total UK sales in financial year 2026. It is investing £30 million in new technology for its Peterborough CDC, with the upgrades taking place over a two-year period. As part of this, it has launched new PackSize technology to prevent waste from oversized cardboard boxes and filling materials by packaging customer orders to size. On average, the technology reduces material usage by up to 30% and void fill by up to 60%.

The technology is expected to increase the share of parcels processed through automation at the Peterborough CDC from 47% today to 75% in 2027, helping the fulfilment team prepare orders for delivery more efficiently. These additional orders would otherwise have been packaged by manually creating a packing carton which includes having to measure the article then creating the cartons to fit the order. Three drones and nests were introduced at the site in January to support inventory management. They scan each aisle in short cycles, helping Ikea to keep stock in the right place and meet customer demand.

Ikea is investing £1.5 million in trialling a new fulfilment capability at its Doncaster CDC. The site now fulfils orders for customers in the Gateshead, Edinburgh and Glasgow areas, with plans for Sheffield to follow. By fulfilling these orders from Doncaster rather than Peterborough, Ikea expects to reduce emissions from delivery journeys by an estimated 280 tonnes of CO2 annually. The new capability has created an additional 80 jobs at the Doncaster site.

9. Sensei looks to take retail intelligence beyond the store checkout as it teams with Brazil’s Muffato Group

Sensei has deployed its technology in a new Muffato Go store in Curitiba, Brazil. This has been developed in partnership with supermarket specialist Grupo Muffato.

While Sensei first became known for its autonomous store technology, it says that the intelligence behind those stores has always been designed to address a broader challenge: giving physical retail the ability and the data to understand and automate its own operations in real-time.

The new Muffato Go, according to those involved, will put that capability into practice, showing how the same underlying technology can improve shelf availability, detect losses, automate checkout, manage fresh products and support online order fulfillment.

Headquartered in Portugal and operating across Europe and Brazil, Sensei has deployed its technology in more than 100 autonomous points of sale, including the world's largest autonomous store, opened in Leiria, Portugal, in 2025. 

“The new Muffato Go shows what AI can already do in a physical store. Shoppers get a faster, simpler way to buy, but that is only the visible part. Our models recognise products and shopper interactions as they happen, and store teams get the right task at the right time," says Vasco Portugal, CEO and Co-founder at Sensei.

"The real value is turning what happens in the store into intelligence that supports the entire business, from the shop floor to the head office. That is what we mean by Conscious Spaces: physical spaces that see, understand and act."

10. Primark announces AI powered supply chain decision capability partnership with Kallikor

Primark has partnered with Kallikor to introduce a simulation led approach to supply chain decisions. The aim being for the retailer to test and validate operational and capital changes before implementation.

The tie up begins with creating digital twins of Primark’s distribution centres, allowing teams to test alternative operating configurations before implementation.

By comparing scenarios in a simulated environment, the retailer says it can identify more efficient approaches while protecting customer service and avoiding downstream cost or operational impacts across the store estate.

Adam Hoccom, Director of Supply Chain at Primark, says: “As we continue to grow across markets, ensuring our supply chain is designed to support that ambition is critical."

"A key part of that is making sure our distribution centres operate efficiently while remaining aligned to store needs. Working with Kallikor allows us to test and compare different operating configurations - from layout and flow changes within sites to broader network considerations - before we commit capital spend."

"This gives us greater confidence in the choices we make and how they will perform in practice, strengthening our ability to innovate and make well informed decisions as we evolve our network.”