RTIH rolls out the biggest retail technology news stories from June including Rohlik Group, Target and Macy’s

It’s July, June is done and dusted, and summer is well and truly here, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful month for the retail systems space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from June, including a checkout-free stores first in England, Ikea’s first foray into mainstream gaming, a major PoS checkout modernisation project at Macy’s, and Currys leveraging the capabilities of shoppable video calls.

1. Rohlik Group bags $170 million in fresh growth capital for European expansion plans ahead of IPO

European food retail technology and online grocery firm, Rohlik Group, has raised $170 million in fresh growth capital.

The investment was led by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), alongside existing investors Sofina, Index Ventures, Quadrille, and TCF Capital and complemented by growth capital funding from the European Investment Bank (EIB) under its Scale-Up Initiative.

The cash will be used to fuel Rohlik’s expansion plans in DACH and CEE, where the company aims to establish its presence in more than ten additional cities by 2030. 

Founded in 2014 in the Czech Republic, it now delivers over a million orders per month, and served over 800,000 customers in 2023. It has now reached profitability in Munich, having already done so in the Czech Republic and Hungary.

Rohlik says that this is driven by a best-in-class local assortment of goods, which ranges from fresh food from local farmers and artisans to supermarket goods, pharmacy items and private label brands, alongside competitive prices, high levels of customer service and fast, reliable delivery, powered by an innovative proprietary technology infrastructure. 

It operates automated fulfilment centres, leveraging a host of AI, ML and robotics technologies, and offers 15-minute delivery windows and same-day deliveries available as soon as one hour after booking. 97% deliveries are said to be on time.

Rohlik is currently targeting revenues of over €1 billion with positive cash flow for the 2024 financial year, as it works towards an IPO.

2. Walmart deepens relationship with retail giant’s Roblox community as it launches augmented reality experience

In April, we reported that Walmart was now able to sell physical goods directly to users inside Roblox.

Walmart Discovered users can have real-life items shipped directly to their doorsteps.

They are greeted with a new storefront showcasing virtual twins of select items sold at physical Walmart stores. The feature is gated specifically to users aged 13 or older in the United States only.

Walmart is now launching a Walmart Discovered AR experience, built in partnership with Sawhorse Productions and Metavertising.

In a LinkedIn post, Walmart Director of Brand Experiences and Strategic Partnerships Justin Breton, said: “It’s important for us to continue identifying new, innovative ways to deepen our relationship with our Roblox community.”

“That’s why, today, we’re launching the Walmart Discovered AR Experience, the first ever immersive AR experience that allows customers to step inside Walmart Discovered in the real-world.”

Customers can shop trending user generated content, discover indie experiences, and see the month’s free virtual item (with the purchase of a Roblox gift card from Walmart.

The featured UGC and experiences are made by and sourced from the retailer’s community on Roblox.

It has also partnered with Flaunt, a Roblox loyalty platform, to power monthly quests that connect the AR experience with the on-platform experience.

Breton said: “It introduces cross-platform gamification and provides our customers with an element of surprise and delight once a quest is complete.”

He concluded: “Customers can easily access the Walmart Discovered AR Experience on their mobile phones by scanning a QR code on the Roblox gift card display in stores nationwide, visiting a dedicated Roblox gift card landing page on Walmart.com, or joining our growing Discord server for early access to our monthly quest.”

3. Asda wraps roll-out of new NCR Point of Sale software across UK grocery giant's store estate

Asda has completed the roll-out of new NCR Point of Sale (PoS) software across its store estate.

In a LinkedIn post, Kevin Besford, Senior Director - Retail Future at Asda, said: “A huge thank you to everyone involved in this extremely ambitious project.”

He added: “This commitment is driving us forward as we continue to build our brand new Asda digital landscape. An even bigger thank you to all our store colleagues who’ve continued to work extremely hard in serving our customers through this time of change.”

“A massive well done to everyone involved in the Asda front end programme, a massive cross functional effort to mobilise across 612 stores.”

The project included 16,674 checkouts, 6,211 physical installs, 27,888 scan and go devices updated, with deployment peaking at 42 stores per week, and over 30,000 colleagues newly trained.

Besford concluded: “An amazing collaboration across the Retail, Tech and NCR teams to get this done.”

4. REWE Group once again teams with Trigo as it opens first autonomous PENNY store in Bucharest, Romania

REWE Group has opened its first autonomous PENNY store in Romania.

The 349 square metre location can be found in Bucharest.

In a LinkedIn post, Christoph Eltze, Chief Digital and Technology Officer at REWE Group, said: “After more than 80,000 hours of work and 4,000 hours of testing with a team of more than 50 colleagues, the time has finally come: the first autonomous PENNY store has been launched in Bucharest – not only in Romania, but worldwide.”

Eltze added that in Germany, REWE Group are pioneers with hybrid test stores in Cologne, Berlin, Hamburg and Düsseldorf as well as a store with fully autonomous check-out via REWE Pick&Go in Munich.

In Lithuania, it was the first to launch autonomous stores with IKI Go a year and a half ago – and to this day is the only one in the country with five locations.

5. Currys taps Bambuser technology as British retailer leverages capabilities of shoppable video calls

Bambuser, a video commerce provider, has announced a partnership with home electronics retailer Currys.

"We are excited to embark on this journey with Bambuser," says Andy Gamble, Group CIO at Currys.

"Video commerce presents a unique opportunity for us to engage with our customers in a more meaningful way and showcase our products to buyers one-on-one in a personalised and interactive way.”

“We believe that this partnership will enable us to create enhanced shopping experiences that drive customer loyalty."

By teaming up with Bambuser to implement its virtual consultation solution, Currys says that it aims to leverage the capabilities of shoppable video calls, allowing shoppers to interact with product experts, ask questions, and make informed purchasing decisions during virtual consultations – wherever they are.

6. Immersive experiences: Ikea makes first foray into mainstream gaming with launch of virtual store on Roblox

Ikea is opening a virtual store on Roblox, marking its first foray into mainstream gaming and also becoming the first brand to launch paid work on the platform.

Going live on 24th June, the Co-Worker Game allows players to experience working in the retailer’s virtual universe. People will, according to a press release, “be able to live their home furnishing dreams and get paid for it, with a limited number of paid roles available”.

The immersive experience gives players the opportunity to experience Ikea’s approach to careers where, to quote the aforementioned press release, “non-linear career journeys are the norm and lateral moves across departments are commonplace”.

7. Checkout.com inks payments deal with Middle East, Africa and Asia, shopping mall, retail and leisure firm Majid Al Futtaim

Majid Al Futtaim, a shopping mall, communities, retail, and leisure specialist across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, has announced a new partnership with PayTech big hitter Checkout.com.

Under the agreement, more than 15 million customers who visit Majid Al Futtaim online each month, will now experience a one-click checkout experience across the company’s offerings.

The tie up will provide Majid Al Futtaim’s customers with one payment platform to access its fashion, home, specialty retail and beauty partner brands, including lululemon, LEGO, Crate and Barrel, Shiseido, with 20 digital platforms across the GCC as well as its cinema and leisure and entertainment businesses and its grocery retail stores operating under the Carrefour franchise in 14 different markets.

8. Target preps genie powered chatbot roll-out across US stores as technology plays ‘outsized role in future of retail’

Target has announced plans to roll-out a new generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tool to team members at all of its nearly 2,000 stores by August.

This makes it the first major retailer to share that it is bringing this technology to its store team members across the US.

The tool, called Store Companion, is a chatbot designed by Target that can answer on the job process questions, coach new team members, support store operations management and more.

Store Companion's goal is to make the teams' jobs easier and allow them to work more quickly and efficiently, offering faster service and deeper guest engagement.

The initiative is part of Target's broader strategic approach to using GenAI across its business to empower its team, enhance the guest experience and support the company's long-term growth.

9. Macy’s taps Enactor technology as department store chain completes major PoS checkout modernisation project

Macy’s has announced go live for a major PoS checkout modernisation project.

In a LinkedIn post, Naga Tirumala Rao Chillapalli, Technical Engineering Manager at Macy’s, said: “Modernising Point of Sale is no small feat, involving the replacement of registers, modernising PoS applications, and backend integrations.”

“It requires extensive collaboration between product, business, change management, software vendors, store leadership, and cross-functional teams.”

He added: “In my role as a manager, this project has been both a challenge and a triumph. I've had the privilege of overseeing multiple facets of the project, from development to Enactor configurations, environments, PoS labs, testing, SRE and QA automation. It's been a journey of growth and learning, and I'm immensely proud of the progress we've made together.”

“I couldn't be prouder of my team and the entire project team. This achievement is a testament to the incredible teamwork, dedication, and collaboration of everyone involved.”

“Together, we have overcome challenges, embraced change, and delivered a solution that will drive positive impact for our customers and store colleagues.”

The new Point of Sale systems are now live at Macy’s Mall of Georgia.

Chillapalli concluded: “We will continue to build on this momentum, innovate, and deliver exceptional experiences for our customers and colleagues.”

10. Amazon reports that its Just Walk Out technology will be deployed at London arena The O2 this summer

The O2 will be one of more than a dozen third-party locations in the UK to offer Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology by the end of this year.

It will be the first indoor arena in England to use the solution, with a new store allowing people to tap their card or mobile wallet, grab their chosen drinks and snacks, and quickly get back to their seats.

The O2 adds to a growing list of UK venues that have opened stores powered by Just Walk Out technology, including ExCel London and The SSE Arena.

Jon Jenkins, Vice President, Just Walk Out technology, says: “We have stores in corporate headquarters like Bentley Motors and Santander Bank, as well as our own Amazon headquarters in London.”

“We’re also in hospitals and universities, including stores at Telford Hospital and Sussex University, and we recently launched a store at Gridserve’s EV Station at Gatwick Airport, with more Gridserve stores coming later this year.”

“By the end of 2024, we expect to be in more than a dozen third-party stores in the UK, as well as in all 20 UK Amazon Fresh stores.”