2024 RTIH Innovation Awards: Supply Chain category finalists announced, including AutoStore and StrongPoint

We’re pleased to announce the shortlist for the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards Supply Chain category.

We received a record number of submissions this year across 20+ categories and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.

It’s now over to our judging panel who will decide the winners to be announced at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, which will take place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London.

The event will be held on Thursday, 21st November and consist of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

Congratulations to all of our finalists.

To book your place at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony on Thursday, 21st November, click here.

SUPPLY CHAIN INNOVATION SHORTLIST AS FOLLOWS:

AutoStore

AutoStore is an automated system helping leading brands like Puma, Gucci, CVS, Helly Hansen and more accelerate order fulfilment, maximise storage capacity, and ensure continuous uptime in the world of omnichannel retail.

Instead of shelf-based storage and manual retrieval, AutoStore uses a cube-based storage system combined with cutting-edge robotics to unlock 4X storage capacity, while delivering the fastest order fulfilment system per square foot in the world with 99.7% accuracy.

Its modular design allows businesses to expand inventory without physical expansion, making it a scalable solution for companies of all sizes.

BIXOLON Europe

Retail printing technology, and its related processes and technologies, is often taken for granted and undervalued. The right kinds of printers print receipts, acting as proof of purchase when consumers buy products, and labels are frequently used to support logistics and last mile delivery of e-commerce purchases to consumers.

Used effectively they communicate valuable information and support supply chain innovation. BIXOLON’s XL5-40 printer is, for example, used by Erwin Müller Versandhaus, the German mail order and e-commerce retailer from, to provide linerless labelling printers that improve operational efficiency and sustainability efforts during order fulfilment.

Cart.com

In 2024, Cart.com made its proprietary order, warehouse and transportation management systems software generally available as a standalone solution.

This software, which provides complete visibility and control over orders, inventory, shipments and warehouse operations, has underpinned the firm’s own success and rapidly growing logistics network since its entry into the space in late 2021.

Fin Sustainable Logistics

Utilising advanced AI route planning and real-time dynamic insights, Fin Sustainable Logistics optimises every step of the delivery process - from collecting parcels directly from fulfilment centres to delivering them to customers' doorsteps.

By integrating an Uber like model for last mile delivery drivers and leveraging AI powered routing, Fin significantly reduces carbon emissions, enhances customer satisfaction, and lowers costs per parcel. Its proprietary technology platform enables seamless communication, real-time tracking, and efficient fleet management.

Find & Order

Find & Order increases productivity of picking operations by 20% in warehouses and stores. Its software solution is a universal add-on calculation layer for existing softwares running warehouses (WMS) and stores (OMS).

Ikea

Ikea knows that consumer habits are changing, and so it wants to embrace new technologies and expand its Click and Collect options to make shopping at the retailer more accessible, affordable and sustainable to the many and bring it closer to the customer than ever before.

Ikea UK has partnered with Tesco UK and taken part in a global test and trial project for pick-up lockers. The lockers have been specially designed to meet the specific needs of customers and can easily accommodate everything from single home furnishing accessories to even the largest furniture orders.

Rebound Returns

ReBound Returns specialises in omnichannel returns management, offering scalable solutions that help businesses to streamline and optimise their return processes. Its competitive advantage lies in providing an end-to-end returns ecosystem, handling everything from online return initiation to processing and reshipping items to their final destinations.

Reveni

Reveni helps e-commerce companies maximise their profitability with instant refunds and instant exchanges.

Its solutions automate their reverse logistics, speed up refunds so customers receive their money back in as little as six seconds and process exchanges instantly, eliminating stock control issues and reducing the time it takes for the customer to enjoy their new product from fourteen days to four.

Shopopop

Shopopop’s mission is to make online groceries and goods accessible for everyone by building the world’s leading community driven delivery platform.

Combining the best of technology and human common sense, it pairs retailers and supermarkets with trusted local shoppers who handle last mile deliveries. By enabling neighbour to neighbour deliveries, it offers businesses a flexible, cost-effective solution to meet customer demands while supporting local communities.

Shopopop takes care of a third of the home delivered groceries in France. Every day it delivers up to 20K people in France, Benelux, Italy and Spain. And it is now looking at a launch in to the UK market.

StrongPoint

StrongPoint has pioneered the world’s first AutoStore Multi-Temperature Solution, revolutionising frozen food logistics. This system, now operational at Haugaland Storhusholdning in Norway, enables automated picking across three temperature zones - ambient, chilled, and frozen - within a single AutoStore grid.

By integrating frozen storage with AutoStore's high efficiency picking, StrongPoint has significantly enhanced the safety, speed, and accuracy of grocery fulfilment operations, reducing the need for workers to enter freezing conditions.

And the winner is…

Join us at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on Thursday, 21st November to celebrate retail technology innovation and our 2024 winners.

To secure your place at the event, please complete the below form and we will get back to you with further details asap.