Starring Thri5, TCC Global, and L’Occitane en Provence: RTIH’s most read retail technology articles from last week

Check out the articles on this here website that caught your fancy last week, including Selfridges, Waitrose, Trust Retail, EE, Aptos, Superdrug, Roblox, Emperia, and Migros Supermarkt.

Former Marks and Spencer Chief Digital and Technology Officer Jeremy Pee co-founds Thri5

Jeremy Pee has co-founded Thri5, a specialist in intelligent performance for global retail and manufacturing supply chains, with Herman Paek, whose CV includes the position of SVP at Loblaw Digital.

At the tail end of last year, Matalan announced the appointment of Pee as Non-Executive Director.

Most recently, he was Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Marks and Spencer.

He was hired in 2018 from Canadian supermarket chain Loblaw, taking on the aforementioned role in 2013.

He was previously Chief Digital and Data Officer, and held that position for just over four years.

Pee recently returned with his family to Canada in a planned move.

Retail and loyalty industry veteran Rick Swinkels takes on Chief Executive Officer role at TCC Global

TCC Global has announced Rick Swinkels’ appointment as CEO to take over global operations across 34 countries.

The company creates loyalty campaigns and platforms that influence, recognise and reward shopper behaviour in-store and online.

Swinkels has over 20 years of experience both as a retailer with Ahold Delhaize and loyalty companies across Europe and worldwide. He joined TCC as Chief Commercial Officer in 2022.

He says: “I’m honoured to lead the passionate team who have made TCC a global market leader and I’m excited for the next phase of our growth. We are the only loyalty provider that combines the latest tech with dynamic in-store experiences to redefine how retailers engage with shoppers and communities.”

TCC clients include 15 of the world’s top 20 grocery retailers, such as REWE, Kroger, Albertsons, Carrefour, Lidl and Coles. The business also has exclusive, international partnerships with brands including Netflix and Masterchef.

L’Occitane en Provence partners with Emperia to launch new The L’Occitane Greenhouse virtual experience

L’Occitane en Provence is launching a new virtual experience, The L’Occitane Greenhouse, spotlighting the brand’s range of summer fragrances, drawing inspiration from the Provence region.

A collaborative effort with Emperia, this highlights offerings for both men and women, including the scents of Neroli and Orchidée, the 86 Collection and Cedrat.

Placed in a greenhouse, amidst the summer fields of Provence, the virtual world is comprised of three rooms; Main hall which features the brand’s women collections, on its rose, cherry blossom and lavenders scents; a woodsy Men Collection room, in a forest like atmosphere; and a Middle East Oasis, a regional lounge like room, featuring local scents including Ambre and the 86 Scents collection.

“Our new virtual experience is dedicated to L’Occitane’s world of natural fragrance creations, inviting guests to immerse themselves in a sensory journey of Provence through exquisite fragrances and exploration, while learning about the brand’s deep roots in the region” says Mariana Rodrigues, Marketing Director at L’Occitane Middle East.

Retail technology influencer Andy Baldauf sets sail from Migros Supermarkt and considers next port of call

Andy Baldauf is leaving Migros Supermarkt where for the last five months he held the position of Product Manager Digital Services - Total Store.

In this role, he was the driving force behind the innovation and transformation of physical touchpoints within supermarkets.

Baldauf was responsible for the development and implementation of digital in-store communication services, e.g. electronic shelf label (ESL) and digital signage, as well as the self-service system subito.

His tasks also included the design and optimisation of shop design themes, whereby he contributed to the further development of customer experiences.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: “Last week, Migros Supermarkt announced its target organisation and my role will no longer find a place there. In mid-June, I will therefore realign my professional route and focus on replanning my next steps.”

“The decision to set sail anew offers me the chance to pause and reflect on which port or ports I want to head for next. This phase of orientation allows me to carefully consider where I want my compass to lead me.”

‘The beating heart of our London store’: Selfridges completes 12-month Beauty Hall renovation programme

Selfridges has wrapped a 12-month renovation programme involving the Beauty Hall part of its Oxford Street, London store.

In a LinkedIn post, David LEGRAND, Lifestyle Director at Selfridges, said: “It is with immense pride and satisfaction that I officially announce the completion of the beating heart of our London store: the culmination of a 12-month Beauty Hall renovation programme.”

“Our new architecture is game-changing, prioritising sight lines for clear views, better navigation, and enhanced accessibility. We’ve also installed a state-of-the-art LED lighting system designed for optimal shade matching and colour consultations.”

Each brand has crafted new, sustainably made counters, featuring dedicated spaces for large format digital totems.

The Beauty Spot, meanwhile, is Selfridges’ newest destination for the world’s most creative and experimental retail concepts. This is launching with an exclusive residency from REFY.

Superdrug lays claim to being first health and beauty retailer to launch in Roblox as it celebrates 60th birthday

Superdrug says it has become the first health and beauty retailer to launch in Roblox, with its new Superdrug Obby obstacle game going live this week to celebrate its 60th birthday.

This is available to play for a limited time and will be made up of three games themed around some of Superdrug’s own brand ranges, ProCare, Fruity and Solait.

Exclusive obbies will see players battle spinning electric toothbrushes, bounce across ProCare toothpaste tubes and fly across floss highwire, before moving onto the Fruity game.

The latter will challenge players with fruity shaped obstacles before they go onto vote for their favourite Fruity flavour. The final game is a Solait summer and travel themed obstacle game which quizzes players on their suncare knowledge.

On completing all three games, users will enter a virtual Superdrug store, where the 60th birthday celebrations will begin.

Players can explore the concept store, listen to the in-store DJ and get the chance to win Superdrug branded UGCs to dress their avatar.

Those who complete all games will receive a code to redeem a free Fruity shower gel of their choice in any Superdrug store nationwide. 

Grocery giant Waitrose chooses Trust Retail Inventory Management solution to replace legacy technology

Waitrose is working with Trust Retail, a Trust Payments company, to implement a new system which aims to improve store availability and free up Partner time for customer facing activities. 

The tie up will involve rolling out a more dynamic store inventory management system which will give stores a near real-time view of their stock position and improve data driven decisions.

Waitrose is investing heavily in new technology across its supply chain and recently laid claim to significant progress in availability, which now stands at record levels.

Under the Trust Retail system, Waitrose Partners will be able to receive stock quickly and efficiently, which will allow their time to be diverted to other customer facing tasks.

EE rolls out Aptos cloud-based PoS solution across its UK stores following a six week pilot

EE is introducing a new cloud-based PoS solution from Aptos in its retail stores. The aim is to enhance customer engagement capabilities and reduce the IT infrastructure footprint in each store. 

Following a six week pilot across 15 locations, the software is being rolled out to EE’s more than 400 stores across the UK.

As part of the IT refresh across its retail estate, EE has upgraded to a newer version of Aptos’ PoS solution, delivered via SaaS, which will run on mobile devices that its employees can use throughout the store.

They will be able to complete all sales, service and operational processes from a single device, instead of multiple devices for different tasks.

EE has also removed fixed tills from each of its stores, allowing staff to have more personal conversations with shoppers, while also helping to reduce any potential congestion and queues.