Starring Asda, Starbucks, and Sook: 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 RELEX Solutions, Optimity, Criteo, NewStore, Asda, Starbucks, and Sook.
1. Asda raids rival grocery retailer Morrisons to bring in Matt Kelleher as new Chief Digital Officer
Asda has confirmed the appointment of its first Chief Digital Officer as it focuses on evolving how it uses data to improve its customer offer, part of an ambition to be the UK’s second largest grocery retailer (a position currently held by Sainsbury’s).
Matt Kelleher will join the supermarket in July from rival Morrisons, where he has held the role of Chief Information Officer.
In his new role, he will take on responsibility for Asda’s data and e-commerce functions. He will also lead all of the retailer’s technology functions once its ongoing tech transformation project ‘Future’ is complete.
He will join Asda’s executive leadership team led by co-owner Mohsin Issa.
2. Sook founder John Hoyle devastated as he announces closure of retail pop-up space provider
Sook, a UK-based startup that operated in the pop-up retail space, has shut up shop after failing to raise sufficient funding.
In a LinkedIn post, founder John Hoyle, said: “I’m devastated to announce the closure of Sook.”
“In spite of the extraordinary efforts of our team, growing sales and achieving international scale we were unable to raise sufficient investment to continue in the current environment.”
He added: “I’m so proud of all that we achieved and incredibly sad that we cannot continue. Please support our team members as they search for new roles.”
“They have first hand experience of disrupting the retail and real estate sectors during incredibly challenging times. Thank you to everyone who supported us over the last five years.”
3. Starbucks amends mobile app to allow reusable cup orders in N America and encourage sustainability
Starbucks has amended its app to add a reusable coffee cup option for its in-app mobile orders in the US and Canada. It has also altered its drive-through and in-store procedures to encourage reuse and sustainability among its customer base.
With the majority of Starbucks beverages enjoyed on-the-go, the change away from single-use plastics unlocks a big opportunity for customers to choose reusables and it supports the coffee chain’s commitment to reduce waste by 50% by 2030.
Customers at participating stores who bring any clean, personal cup will receive a $0.10 discount on their beverage, and in the US Starbucks Rewards members will also receive 25 Bonus Stars.
When customers order via the Starbucks app, they will need to hit the ‘Customisation’ button and then select ‘Personal Cup’ in the customisation menu and then continue ordering as normal.
When they get to the store, users connect with their barista at the pickup area, and hand over their clean personal cup without the lid. The barista will hand the beverage back in a contactless vessel to ensure hygiene and safety.
There is also the option to specify personal cup usage in the chain’s cafés or via its drive-thru outlets.
Starbucks claims to be the first national coffee retailer in the US to accept reusable cups for its in-app mobile orders.
4. RELEX Solutions announces acquisition of supply chain planning and optimisation provider Optimity
RELEX Solutions, a provider of unified supply chain and retail planning solutions, has acquired Optimity, a supply chain planning and optimisation specialist.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
RELEX says that this will bolster its retail and supply chain platform with daily production planning, optimisation and production scheduling capabilities.
“The consumer goods industry is incredibly dynamic and complex. Acquiring Optimity will seamlessly link downstream demand with upstream planning, so consumer goods companies can more accurately predict consumer demand, optimise production plans and schedules, adjust inventory levels, and respond quickly to market changes or unexpected disruptions,” says Mikko Kärkkäinen, Co-founder and Group CEO, RELEX.
“This acquisition also further accelerates our vision towards an adaptive, autonomous and synchronised supply chain unifying demand and supply planning decisions in one platform to minimize all wasted cost and product. We warmly welcome the Optimity team to RELEX.”
5. Macy’s veteran Melanie Zimmermann joins Criteo to lead the company’s global retail media practice
Criteo has announced the appointment of Melanie Zimmermann to lead its global retail media practice.
Zimmermann joins from Macy’s, where she built its Media Network, the company’s retail media network that reaches more than 46 million customers across Macy's and Bloomingdale's and is said to influence more than 440 million transactions online and in-store.
In her most recent role as VP, Head of Macy’s Media Network, she was responsible for developing and executing strategy and leading all retail media operations from media planning, sales, campaign management and analytics.
At Criteo, Zimmermann will report to Chief Revenue Officer Brian Gleason and her team will be in charge of driving the global vision and strategy of Criteo’s retail media practice and forging alignment across regions.
She will also play a pivotal role in retail media product strategy and prioritisation, closely connecting commercial needs and product development.
6. 2023 RTIH Innovation Awards winner NewStore appoints Ben Hoskins as Chief Technology Officer
Ben Hoskins has joined NewStore as its Chief Technology Officer. In this role, he will lead the omnichannel store solution specialist’s global engineering team while spearheading its overall technology vision, culture, and operations.
Hoskins has spent more than 25 years leading the technology strategies for the likes of eBay, Wayfair, and OLX and startups such as Spark Networks and Billie.
As a member of the executive leadership team, he will also work closely with the product and go-to-market functions to ensure all departments are aligned on the firm’s vision and objectives in the face of market demands.
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