Starring Asda, RELEX, and Mars: the biggest retail technology news stories of the week
It’s Friday, 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 most important stories from the past five days, including Plus Retail, Asda, Mars, Evri, JD.com, Metro Brands, Nextail, Marks and Spencer, Manchester United, and SCAYLE.
1. Rob Barnes departs Marks and Spencer for Technology Delivery Director role at grocery retailer Asda
Rob Barnes has left Marks and Spencer, where he served as Chief Technology Officer - Delivery, to take on the role of Technology Delivery Director at Asda.
Barnes joined M&S in 2019, following almost 16 years at Accenture.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: “After great four years, it's finally time to hand back my M&S pass and move on to the next challenge. It's been an amazing experience working with so many great colleagues and I'll look back fondly on some of the things we achieved.”
He added: “Some of the highlights I've learned so much from include launching M&S on Ocado; the transformation of the end-to-end food supply chain; delivering a renewed tech landscape and experience in our stores; navigating the challenges of Brexit (whilst learning export rules for a chicken curry!); and helping make M&S #1 in the GCA's GSCOP rankings.”
“Four years has absolutely flown by, but I'm really looking forward to my next challenge! Thanks to the fantastic colleagues and partners alike and good luck in the next chapter of M&S' transformation.”
2. PLUS Retail expands RELEX Solutions partnership as it taps promotional planning and optimisation solution
PLUS Retail, the third largest service supermarket organisation in the Netherlands, is expanding its partnership with RELEX Solutions. The goal is to optimise promotion planning, management, and the optimisation process.
PLUS Retail operates in 500+ stores in the Netherlands.
The RELEX tech will be implemented in every store of the PLUS, PLUS Vandaag, and COOP formats across the country.
The retailer began using the RELEX forecasting and replenishment solution in 2021, followed by the implementation of RELEX Space Management capabilities.
Until recently, PLUS Retail managed promotion planning through spreadsheets, a time intensive and resource consuming task prone to errors and offering limited analytical options.
It needed a tool to help category managers make more evidence-based decisions, optimise planning processes, run more effective campaigns, find the correct price point, and negotiate better deals with suppliers to drive increased revenue and profits while reducing costs.
3. Premier League giants Manchester United enlist SCAYLE for new e-commerce experience
Manchester United has chosen SCAYLE as its official e-commerce platform partner.
The Premier League football club’s new e-commerce experience will launch later this year and continue to be evolved in alignment with the club’s ambition of delivering a best in class direct-to-consumer experience for its global fan base.
SCAYLE provides the technical backbone for more than 140 online stores and was specifically designed for B2C use cases with a strong focus on the fashion, lifestyle and sports sectors.
Manchester United’s Phil Lynch, CEO of Direct to Consumer Products & Experiences, says: “Manchester United is always looking for new and innovative ways to improve our fans’ experience.”
“We are delighted to be partnering with SCAYLE to further enhance our e-commerce offering, delivering an exceptional fan experience through personalisation and a premium best in class commerce platform.”
4. UK parcel delivery company Evri announces partnership with Chinese marketplace giant JD.com
Evri and JD.com have announced a partnership aimed at bridging the gap between European brands and the market in China.
The pair say that the integration of the latter’s logistics and e-commerce capabilities in China with the former’s delivery network across Europe will offer European businesses a gateway to access JD.com’s consumer base in China – and Chinese brands growth opportunities in Europe.
Leveraging Evri's delivery network throughout Europe, JD Logistics will offer customers in China enhanced services and offerings to European brands.
The services will include Evri’s local pick-up and warehousing in Europe and then international transportation, access to Chinese bonded warehouses, customs clearance, and comprehensive delivery across China.
JD Worldwide, the cross-border e-commerce platform of JD.com, will provide Evri’s retail partners with insights on the Chinese market including consumer behaviour, marketing and pricing strategies, product selection advice, and online operational strategies specific to China.
The partnership will initially prioritise the beauty and apparel sectors.
It will also enable JD Logistics to offer integrated warehousing and delivery solutions to clients in Europe by leveraging Evri’s local distribution network and JD’s self-operated overseas warehouses.
5. Metro Brands and Nextail team up in bid to revolutionise merchandise planning for Indian footwear
Metro Brands, an Indian footwear and accessory specialty retailer, has entered into a strategic partnership with Nextail, a merchandise planning platform for fashion.
The long-term agreement encompasses a number of AI driven solutions across buying and merchandising.
Metro Brands operates more than 800 stores across over 180 Indian cities, with plans to open approximately 200 by FY 2025.
It says that, through accurate demand forecasting and decision automation, the Nextail platform will ensure product availability across its rapidly expanding store footprint.
With hyper-local forecasting, every store will have the individual focus that is usually only possible in the earliest stages of a brand’s journey. Metro Brands lays claim to being one of the only retailers in India with this capability at scale.
Nissan Joseph, CEO at Metro Brands, says: “Since opening our first store in 1955, Metro Brands has been fully dedicated to providing unparalleled service to customers by way of fashionable and region specific footwear.”
“Our decision to partner with Nextail is based on their strong product vision and retail knowledge, but more importantly because of our shared ethos for leveraging cutting-edge solutions in favour of enhancing the customer experience.”
6. Mars partners with Einride to bring 300 electric and digital trucks to European roads by 2030
Mars and Einride, a freight technology company, are partnering to bring a fleet of 300 electric and digitally optimised, heavy duty trucks to the former’s network across Europe by 2030.
Across Europe it is estimated that the electric operations will save 20,000 metric tons of CO2e each year by 2030, which accounts for roughly a 10% reduction in Mars Europe’s road transport GHG emissions annually.
The first delivery happened last week, with Einride’s freight capacity offering deployed with two electric trucks and charging points powered by its operating system Saga.
The route is between the Mars Petcare factory in Verden, Germany and its distribution centre in Minden, Germany, which are approximately 90 km (56 miles) apart.
Following Germany’s lead, the partnership will begin expanding across Europe first with routes in the UK and the Netherlands expected to follow later in 2024. These fully electric operations will be complemented with an autonomous pilot, implemented in 2025.
7. New Marks and Spencer leadership appointments reflect the importance of digital and technology
M&S has announced the appointment of Rachel Higham as its new Chief Digital and Technology Officer and Mark Lemming as Managing Director of International.
Higham is currently Chief Information Officer at WPP and will join the retailer later this year.
Lemming has been promoted from his current role as Clothing & Home Supply Chain & Logistics Director and will begin his new role in the new financial year.
Both roles will sit on the executive committee.
M&S CEO Stuart Machin says:: “These two new leadership appointments reflect the importance of digital and technology and capital light International growth to the next phase of our transformation.”
“As I set out at our recent Capital Markets Day, we have more to do in both of these areas and so much opportunity. Rachel and Mark are a fantastic addition to the executive team and I am confident that, with their leadership, we will accelerate the pace of change in the business as we reshape M&S for growth.”
Continue reading…