The five biggest retail technology news stories of the week

It’s time to reflect on another eventful week for the retail systems space. Here's your briefing on the biggest stories from the past few days, including Morrisons going checkout free, Ocado, Farfetch and Checkout.com enjoying decacorn status, and Jeff Bezos rocketing in to space.

1. Morrisons Project Sarah taps AiFi tech for checkout free stores pilot

Morrisons is testing out a store with no checkouts or staff, known internally as Project Sarah, at its Bradford head office.

Britain's fourth largest supermarket, which is currently at the centre of a takeover battle, is working with US venture AiFi on the initiative.

Customers (or Morrisons staff members in the case of this trial) download an app on to their smartphone which must be scanned on entry.

Digital cameras then track where people are in the store and record which items they place in their bags.

2. Farfetch, Ocado, Checkout.com join decacorn club as UK tech space thrives

The UK ranks third in the world, behind the US and China, for its number of tech businesses valued above $10 billion, according to research from Tech Nation.

The former has doubled its number of companies (aka decacorns) at this stage in six months alone, with seven companies reaching $10 billion valuations in 2021: Revolut, Wise, Arrival, eToro, Checkout.com, Farfetch, and Ocado.

New @Kantar_UKI data is out! @Ocado Retail gains share as it continues to be the fastest growing grocer in the UK against a backdrop of YOY decline in the grocery market.
⬆️ 🛒 #GroceryMarketShare pic.twitter.com/W9W8gDF67o
— Luke Jensen (@LukeJensenOcado) July 21, 2021

3. Instacart enlists Fabric for robotic fulfilment centres initiative

Instacart has announced plans to offer automated fulfilment as a service to grocers in North America, and it has inked a multi-year deal with Fabric as part of the initiative.

The service will combine Fabric’s software and robotics with Instacart’s proprietary technology and gig shoppers for fulfilment inside dedicated warehouses and existing retailer locations.

Instacart plans to kick off early stage concept pilots in partnership with grocery retail partners over the coming year. This is the company’s first move beyond its legacy store-based fulfilment offering.

Mahoosive move by @Instacart and huge deal for @fabriclogistics #retailtech https://t.co/4YVPQlNWxN
— Scott Thompson (@ScottThomps74) July 22, 2021

4. Jeff Bezos in space: Critics slam Amazon tax affairs and worker treatment

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past month, you’ll be aware that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has completed an 11 minute journey to space aboard his company Blue Origin's New Shepard launch vehicle.

He was accompanied by Mark Bezos, his brother, Wally Funk, an 82-year-old pioneer of the space race, and an 18-year-old student.

During a news conference, billionaire Bezos thanked “every Amazon employee and every Amazon customer because you guys paid for all of this."

Enter his many, many critics who were quick to point out that Amazon workers have complained of poor working conditions, long hours and low pay. Customers are also getting a bum deal.

Oh, and the e-commerce giant doesn’t pay its fair share of taxes.

Yes, Amazon workers did pay for this - with lower wages, union busting, a frenzied and inhumane workplace, and delivery drivers not having health insurance during a pandemic.

And Amazon customers are paying for it with Amazon abusing their market power to hurt small business. https://t.co/7qMgpe8u0M
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) July 20, 2021

5. The joke’s on grocery execs as Jokr and other new entrants power ahead

Far too many grocery executives have failed to understand the threat that Jokr poses to their business, according to Brittain Ladd, a former Amazon exec and supply chain consultant.

The rapid grocery delivery startup recently closed a $170 million Series A funding round, three months after the company started operations in the US, Latin America and Europe.

“Delivering groceries in 15 minutes is viewed as only being possible in New York City as one grocery executive recently told me. False,” Ladd said in a LinkedIn post.

“I was correct when I stated in 2018 that the need to increase delivery speed would usher in the use of manual and automated micro-fulfilment centres. It’s happening as I write this.”