The five most important retail tech news stories of the week

It’s Friday, the week is nearly done, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail technology space. Here's your briefing on some of the most important and interesting stories from the past five days.

1. Retailers must invest in Click and Collect partnerships

Nine in ten UK retailers are planning to invest in Click and Collect services over the next five years with the market set to be worth almost £10 billion by 2023, according to research from Barclaycard.

2. Asos insists it is fighting fit after 'disruptive' year

Profits at Asos have plunged, driven by significant tech investment and warehousing issues in Germany and the US.

3. Walmart InHome Delivery service officially launches

Earlier this year, Walmart announced InHome Delivery, which will see items delivered directly to customers’ kitchen or garage fridges. And it has now launched the service in Pittsburgh, Kansas City (Missouri and Kansas) and Vero Beach.

4. Contactless payments hit UK milestone

Contactless payments accounted for half of all UK debit card transactions in July. It is the first time the 50% level has been reached, according to figures from banking trade body UK Finance.