RTIH presents the retail technology week in numbers
Do you like numbers? Do you like retail systems news? Then this is the article for you. Including Wayve, Pandion, Nuvemshop and Beacon.
715,000…GXO Logistics and Abercrombie & Fitch have reached an agreement to open a new 715,000 square foot distribution centre in Goodyear, Arizona, USA.
This will serve as the retailer’s new hub for its West Coast operations when it becomes fully operational in late 2021.
The automated facility will feature goods to person robots. Analytics, including AI and machine learning, will also be deployed at the site, with the aim of delivering fast, efficient distribution of products to customers.
£10 million…Ocado Group has announced a partnership with and £10 million investment in startup Wayve as it looks to accelerate the development of autonomous grocery deliveries for complex urban environments.
This closely follows Asda’s tie up with Wayve.
$30 million…US-based e-commerce delivery startup Pandion has announced $30 million in new funding, consisting of a $22.5 million Series A and a $7.5 million add-on investment.
The startup’s founder and CEO is Scott Ruffin, who was the head of Amazon Air for almost five years.
He has also served as Vice President and Head of Walmart's e-commerce transportation business.
1 and 4…Amazon has opened the doors to the first Amazon 4-star store outside of the US.
Situated in Bluewater, this offers a range of products that are rated four stars and above, are top sellers, or are trending on Amazon’s UK site, including consumer electronics, toys, games, books, kitchen, and home.
Customers can purchase online and collect orders at the store as soon as the next day. It also offers parcel free, label free returns for items purchased both in store and online.
Digital price tags are located alongside each product with the item price, average star rating, and the number of customer reviews.
Amazon account holders will pay the price as they would on the UK site. Prime members will receive exclusive perks and deals throughout the store.
5…As part of a Love Brings Love tribute to late founder Alber Elbaz, fashion startup AZ Factory has launched a range of limited edition t-shirts that will each come with a unique NFT.
The five organic cotton t-shirt styles feature a specific quote from the designer, as well as signature grosgrain ribbon embroidery and hand drawn prints.
Each one is linked to its own NFT of an original Elbaz drawing. As there will be a limited number of NFTs produced for each shirt, the drawings will also show its original identification number, helping to verify and track ownership.
2…Wendy’s and REEF have announced the opening of the first two Wendy’s delivery kitchens in the United Kingdom.
$50 million…Digital supply chain and freight platform venture, Beacon, has raised over $50 million in a Series B round, led by Northstar.vc.
Upper90 also participated as a new investor, alongside existing backers including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.
The cash will be used to grow Beacon’s team, continue the development of its technology and expand into new markets.
1 million…Zilch, a London-based buy now, pay later provider, has announced a milestone with one million customers now signed up to the platform.
$3.1 billion…Latin American e-commerce platform, Nuvemshop, has announced the acquisition of Mandaê, a logistics platform for small and medium online businesses.
Financial terms of the deal, which represents the former’s first direct step into the logistics market, were not disclosed.
It follows a $500 million Series E round of funding that valued Nuvemshop at $3.1 billion.
