The retail technology week in numbers
Do you like numbers? Do you like retail technology? Then this is the article for you.
$200 million…Instacart has raised $200 million in a new funding round involving existing investors. D1 Capital and Valiant Peregrine Fund led the round. Instacart is now worth $17.7 billion, post-money, or $17.5 billion pre-money.
100,000…Amazon has taken the wraps off its first customised electric delivery van, designed and built in partnership with Rivian.
The e-commerce giant is pitching this as a major milestone on its path to get 10,000 Amazon EVs on the road by 2022 and 100,000 by 2030.
£2 billion….The Very Group’s Chief Technology Officer, Andy Burton, will depart in February 2021 to take on a new role in a different sector.
Burton joined the company last year from The Stars Group, an online gaming specialist, where he became a director following a merger with Sky Betting and Gaming in 2018.
A search is under way to find his successor. The Very Group made the announcement as it reported a return to profit, with revenue topping £2 billion for the first time.
228…Lithuanian retailer, IKI, is to deploy Reflexis Systems workforce management technology.
It will work with Reflexis and its partner, StrongPoint, on a roll-out across 228 stores for more than 5,000 employees.
21% of UK workers feel more vulnerable to cybercrime since the outbreak of Covid-19, according to research from PwC.
3,100…Foot Locker has selected Adyen to manage payments both online and for its 3,100 stores in 27 markets worldwide.
275,000…Online electricals retailer AO is opening its third distribution warehouse in four months.
This one is its biggest warehouse to date, adding over 275,000 sq ft of distribution space to the pureplay’s portfolio with the premises at G-Park in Stoke-on-Trent.
137…Homebase has teamed with Smart Energy GB for the launch of what is pitched as the UK’s first green aisle.
The new space showcases energy efficient and environmentally friendly products. These are also available online. It will initially be rolled out in five stores - Haringey, Selly Oak (Birmingham), Edinburgh, Leeds Moor Allerton, and Bridge End - with a further 132 stocking a smaller range of sustainable products, until the end of October.
12%…Customers are migrating away from cash as affinity for digital payments grows, according to research by Capgemini.
This is being driven by increasing smartphone usage, booming e-commerce, digital wallet adoption and mobile/QR payments, with a predicted growth rate of 12% between 2019-2023.
$100 million…Cooler Screens has announced a $80 million+ Series C funding round, involving the likes of Verizon Ventures, Microsoft’s M12 venture fund, GreatPoint Ventures and Silicon Valley Bank.
The startup, which uses interactive digital displays to replace the glass doors in store cooler aisles, has now pulled in over $100 million in funding.
24…Buymie has announced a new partnership with Irish grocery chain Dunnes Stores.
This will allow customers able to order groceries from 24 stores in the greater Dublin area and in Cork City for same-day delivery. It will be possible to book slots for as little as one hour or up to seven days in advance.
328,000…Waitrose has given former partner Ocado a bloody nose as the pair duke it out for the hearts and minds of online shoppers.
Ocado Retail, the joint venture between Ocado and Marks & Spencer, had an average of 328,000 weekly orders in the fortnight after its 1st September launch. This was down from 345,000 orders a week in the seven weeks running up to that date, according to a report by The Sunday Times.
Waitrose, meanwhile, has seen weekly orders on its website grow to 190,000, a near 20% capacity increase in the space of a month.
9,000…Costa Coffee’s Costa Express venture will roll-out a mobile contactless ordering system across 9,000+ machines nationwide this autumn.
4…Fans of Lady Gaga’s HAUS LABORATORIES brand can now use Klarna’s buy now, pay later offering.
They will be able to purchase makeup and pay in four equal, interest free instalments.
62…Following the introduction of Simbe Robotics’ autonomous robot Tally in select stores, US retailer Schnuck Markets is launching the technology in an additional 46 locations, taking the total to 62.
