The five biggest retail technology 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 systems space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from the past five days, including Amazon, Gopuff, Casino Group and Gorillas.
1. Amazon launches 2021 Christmas advert and online shop
Amazon has given a first look at a global Christmas campaign that tells the story of a young woman connecting with a neighbour amid the coronavirus outbreak.
To coincide with the launch, customers can browse The Amazon Christmas Shop, which opened for business on Monday.
2. Speedy delivery venture Gopuff launches in the UK
US-based rapid delivery startup, Gopuff, has announced a launch across the UK.
It is now operational in Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield. And it aims to be in 33 UK cities by mid 2022.
The arrival in the UK (Gopuff’s first market outside of the US) was driven by the company’s acquisitions of Fancy and Dija earlier this year.
3. Casino Group agrees Gorillas rapid delivery tie up
Casino Group and Gorillas have announced a quick commerce partnership focused on the French market.
The former has been boosting its online presence by tapping Ocado Group’s fulfilment platform, while its Monoprix supermarket arm works with Amazon.
This new partnership, which will see Casino buying a "symbolic" stake in Gorillas, will give Gorillas access to Casino’s national brands products, and also to Monoprix’s private label products.
These will be available through Gorillas’ app and delivered within 10 minutes to customers in Paris, Lille, Bordeaux, Lyon and Nice.
4. 2021 RTIH Innovation Awards: shortlists announced
RTIH has started to announce the shortlists for its 2021 awards, including bricks and mortar, payments and supply chain innovation categories.
Winners will be revealed on 8th December at a roundtable discussion/networking event in central London.
Now into their third year, the RTIH Innovation Awards, sponsored by PMC, StoreSpace, Critizr, Marxent, QVALON and Selazar, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
5. Amazon 4-star UK store opens at Westfield London shopping centre
Amazon has opened its second Amazon 4-star UK store.
Situated at Westfield London, this offers a range of products that are rated four stars and above, are top sellers, or are trending on the Amazon UK site.
It lines up alongside a store in Bluewater Shopping Centre, Kent, which launched in early October.
Items are available from the top categories across Amazon UK, including consumer electronics, toys, games, books, kitchen, home, and more. The store will also have the full range of Amazon devices available to demo, including Kindle e-Readers, Fire Tablets, and Echo Dots.
Customers can purchase online and collect orders as soon as the next day. It also offers parcel free, label free returns for items purchased both in-store and online.
