The five biggest retail technology news stories of the week

The weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail systems space. Here's your briefing on the biggest stories from the past few days, including Made.com, Pinduoduo and Tesco.

1. Made.com confirms plans for blockbuster London float

Online furniture retailer Made.com has announced its intention to float on the London Stock Exchange.

There have been rumours about the pureplay, which was co-founded by entrepreneur Brent Hoberman, making the move since February, but it has thus far declined to press the button.

An IPO will see some existing investors sell shares but also raise new money, and could value the business at anything up to £1 billion.

2. Pinduoduo reports an e-commerce milestone in China

Chinese e-commerce group Pinduoduo has surpassed 800 million users for the first time.

Revenue for its first quarter rose 239% to 22.2 billion yuan ($3.4 billion) in the three months ended March.

The number of annual active buyers for the 12 months ended March increased to 823.8 million, making Pinduoduo the most widely used e-commerce platform in China.

Pinduoduo Chairman and CEO Chen Lei says the company continues to look at “how things are done with a fresh pair of eyes, with no preconceptions” as annual active users surpass 800 m. #ecommerce #agriculture https://t.co/B8d580DsQv
— Pinduoduo (@PinduoduoInc) May 26, 2021

3. Tesco makes on-demand grocery delivery move with Whoosh service

Tesco is testing out a new rapid delivery service, Whoosh, at an Express store in Wolverhampton.

Customers will be able to order via the retailer’s app or Tesco.com, with products delivered by partner Stuart within 60 minutes by bike, moped or car, for a £5 delivery fee.

4. Autonomous retail technology startup Sensei opens store with Sonae

Lisbon-based startup Sensei has announced its first autonomous store opening to the public, in partnership with Portuguese retailer Sonae.

The move closely follows a $6.5 million seed fund raise.

Pioneering the European retail industry? Check!✔️
Today marks the opening of the very first autonomous store by a European retailer.@ContinenteLabs is an innovative format resulting from a close collaboration between @Sensei_tech and @SONAE. pic.twitter.com/wcwNbp6bEI
— Sensei (@Sensei_tech) May 26, 2021

5. Glovo buys Delivery Hero Central and Eastern Europe brands

Spanish q-commerce startup Glovo has announced an agreement with online food delivery venture Delivery Hero to acquire some of its companies in Central and Eastern Europe.

Glovo will buy the foodpanda brand in Romania and Bulgaria, the Donesi brand in Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Pauza in Croatia in deals worth €170 million.

In a separate deal, Glovo will also snap up Ehrana, a local delivery company in Slovenia, for an undisclosed fee.