Starring Sitoo, EE, and Walmart: RTIH rolls out 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 Currys, Ikea, Clarks, Tesco, Iceland, Super-Pharm, Primark, Studenac, Ant Group, and Nike China.
1. 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards winners announced, including Currys, Ikea, Clarks, Tesco, and Super-Pharm
Last week, we announced the winners from the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards, sponsored by Vista Technology Support, CADS, 3D Cloud, SCALA, Brightpearl by Sage’s Lightning 50, Retail Technology Show 2025, and Business France.
Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”
He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”
“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”
Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended last night’s gathering.
2. New PUMA store ‘redefines what it means to be bricks and mortar location in rapidly evolving digital world’
PUMA has officially opened the doors to its second North American flagship store in Las Vegas at the BLVD Las Vegas. The 25,000-square-foot retail space, which spans three stories, aims to “redefine what it means to be a bricks and mortar location in today's rapidly evolving digital world”.
“I am thrilled that we are opening a state-of-the-art flagship store in Las Vegas as part of our brand elevation strategy. Located along the iconic Las Vegas Strip, this flagship allows us to expand PUMA’s presence in North America to connect with US consumers and international visitors alike,” says Arne Freundt, Chief Executive Officer at PUMA.
“I believe that our new Las Vegas Flagship is essential for conveying the true character of our brand and for creating an immersive, interactive shopping experience as it will redefine in-person shopping by seamlessly merging sports performance, latest fashion trends, and technology.”
The store features a variety of immersive and interactive features powered by technology. It offers customers attractions such as a professional F1 racing simulator, an interactive arcade, and a customisation studio where customers can personalise apparel and footwear.
3. First EE Experience store opens in Birmingham with appearance from former football star Emile Heskey
EE has announced the grand opening of its latest Experience store in Birmingham’s Bullring.
Former England International Emile Heskey, who called Birmingham home during a five-year spell with Birmingham City and Aston Villa, cut the ribbon and welcomed visitors to the new space at 12pm on Thursday 28th November.
The store has been designed to help people explore the latest in connected technology and forms part of EE's investment of more than £6 million in bricks and mortar retail this year.
It will feature Experience Zones themed around four key areas – Game, Work, Learn, and Home – along with a Tech Home area showcasing the future of connected living.
Heskey says: “It’s fantastic to open EE’s new Experience store in Birmingham, a city that’s very close to my heart. I used to love shopping in the Bullring during my years at Birmingham City and Aston Villa and it’s great to see the centre continue to reinvent itself. The EE Experience store is brilliant, and I can’t wait to see the excitement as people explore all the store has to offer."
4. Croatian food retailer Studenac bins initial public offering due to unfavourable market conditions
The offer would consist of new shares and the sale of existing shares by current shareholders.
Studenac said at the time that final terms would be released following approval of the Luxembourg Financial Supervision Authority. The aim was to raise $85.94 million from the issuance of new shares in connection with the offering.
It is now, however, ditching the initiative, citing unfavourable market conditions.
Michał Seńczuk, CEO at Studenac, comments: “During our numerous meetings and discussions with Croatian, Polish, and international investors, they have shown genuine interest in our business model, appreciation for its dynamic growth and support for our expansion plans.”
“However, due to the challenging conditions in the capital markets, we - together with our majority shareholder - have decided not to proceed with the IPO of the company’s shares.”
He adds: “We remain confident in our strategy and development direction, fully committed to continuing on this path without compromise and demonstrating to our employees, investors, and all stakeholders that we can create value for them. We extend our gratitude to all investors who have placed their trust in us throughout this process.”
5. Celebrating thought leaders: 2025 RTIH Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List now open for submissions
The 2025 edition of the RTIH Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List, sponsored by 3D Cloud, is now open for entries, with go live set for March next year.
We will be bringing you the people who made a splash in 2024 and are set for a barnstorming 2025.
RTIH is scouring the retail technology world to find the most influential figures for this comprehensive list of people and trends that shape the industry and help drive it forward.
We’re living in unprecedented times and witnessing a seismic change in shopping habits.
We are seeing retailers taking innovative technologies like AR, AI, and spatial computing, and finding ways to use them to make customer experiences more exciting and dynamic.
Which is where the RTIH Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List comes in, presented, we should stress, in no particular order. Such disruption requires new ways of problem solving and thought leaders who can both evangelise and execute on the likes of digital transformation and omnichannel success.
6. Just Walk Out technology powered Amazon Fresh store set to open tomorrow in West Hampstead, London
Amazon this week opened a new Amazon Fresh store in West Hampstead, London.
The US online giant launched its first such store in the UK - its first physical retail site outside North America - in Ealing, London in 2021. It reportedly planned to open hundreds of Fresh locations in the UK, but that didn’t happen, with the number now standing at 21, all of which are in London except one in Sevenoaks, Kent.
In July last year, the company announced Ealing was to close, along with two others, in Wandsworth and East Sheen.
Amazon has also been working on an overhaul of its UK stores, with the reopening of its Aldgate location earlier this year. The stores originally launched as checkout-free offerings, powered by Just Walk Out technology. But the focus is now on adding more payment options, such as self-service checkouts.
7. From Bydgoszcz to Bolton: Primark notches up physical firsts in Poland and UK as new stores open to public
Primark has this week announced two notable new store openings, one in Bolton, UK, and one in Bydgoszcz, Poland.
In a LInkedIn post, the retailer said: “From Bydgoszcz to Bolton, it was a busy day for Primark teams as we opened the doors to two new stores.”
“In Poland, we celebrated the opening of our seventh store, in Zielone Arkady Shopping Centre, Bydgoszcz, and our first location in the north of the country. Representing a €9 million investment, we’re delighted to bring affordable fashion to more customers in the region and welcome over 150 new colleagues.”
It added: “Meanwhile, in the UK, our newly relocated Bolton store opened its doors at Market Place to over 500 eager shoppers. This location brings our exciting new store concept to the British high street for the first time, featuring a modern look and feel, more sustainable design fittings and even a unique new scent.”
“Bolton has been part of our story since 1976, and we’re proud to continue serving this vibrant community after 48 years, and counting.”
8. Sitoo bags funding from private equity company Verdane as it looks to accelerate global expansion
Swedish firm Sitoo, a provider of cloud-native POS and unified commerce platform solutions, has announced a €26 million minority investment from Verdane.
This will help the company take advantage of what it calls a “massive opportunity” in the US and global markets while strengthening its foothold in the UK and European regions.
“We have seen Sitoo deliver on its growth ambitions with best-in-class execution by Jens Levin and the team since we first met in 2019. Back then they were a local Swedish player with big ambitions and has now become the clear market leader in the Nordics and we look forward to partner with the team to help build the business into a global category leader” says Pål Malmros, Partner at Verdane.
9. Ant Group and Nike China focus on sustainability as they ink MOU building on partnership established in 2022
Ant Group and Nike China have signed an MOU that will see the latter use Ant Cloud Customer Service Solution to enhance its e-commerce operations in China, improve customer service efficiency, and enhance sustainability performance.
As part of an expanded partnership, Nike E-commerce will integrate Ant Cloud Customer Service Solution to address staffing needs during major promotional events.
With features like smart scheduling, AI powered staff training, and AI driven quality assurance, the solution aims to meet the growing demand for online customer service, and also creates flexible job opportunities for groups such as freelancers, stay-at-home parents, young people in small towns, and individuals with physical challenges.
Additionally, by enabling remote work, this model helps reduce carbon emissions compared to traditional customer service centres.
"Nike firmly believes that protecting the planet is protecting the future of sport,” says Stanley Chang, Vice President, Supply Chain for Nike Greater China. ”We have been investing in localised innovations and seeking solutions that integrate sustainability into every aspect of our business. With the expanded partnership, we look forward to driving more innovations for a sustainable future."
10. Walmart meets next generation of customers where they are online with latest No Boundaries ZEPETO drop
Walmart’s second No Boundaries drop on ZEPETO has gone live.
This drop includes ten virtual twins of real-world NoBo items from the US retail giant’s winter collection and a “cozy chalet” video booth backdrop for the ZEPETO community to create and share with their friends.
Walmart has also partnered with ZEPETO creator, TuLiP TLP to create three limited edition items inspired by the broader winter collection.
“This type of activation might not resonate with you, but it does resonate with the more than 20 million MAU on ZEPETO,” says Justin Breton, Head of Brand Marketing Innovation at Walmart.
“It’s another example of how we’re meeting the next generation of customers where they are online and empowering them to discover, try-on, and express themselves with virtual fashion, all of which translates to real-world brand love and purchase intent.”
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