Expansion on the menu at McDonald’s UK and Ireland: RTIH presents the retail technology week in numbers
Do you like numbers? Do you like retail systems news? Then this is the article for you. Including Ikea, Woolworths Group, Takeoff Technologies, Fresha, TickPick, Ted Baker, Watsons Turkey, Pets at Home, and the latest edition of RTIH magazine.
$250 million…Brighton Park Capital has announced a $250 million investment in ticket marketplace, TickPick, to accelerate its growth and scale operations.
Symphony Ventures, golfer Rory McIlroy’s investment partnership, has joined as a strategic investor.
TickPick was founded in 2011 by Co-CEO's Brett Goldberg and Chris O’Brien who saw an unmet need in the market for a cost-effective, transparent solution that puts the consumer first.
It has partnerships with such professional sports teams as the Philadelphia Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams.
In this edition, we showcase the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards, sponsored by CADS, 3D Cloud, and Retail Technology Show 2025, and Business France.
Deadline for entries is Friday, 25th October, with winners being announced at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, to be held at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on Thursday, 21st November.
We also present the Retail Technology Innovations Report, sponsored by 3D Cloud.
This highlights the top 50 retail tech plays of the past 12 months as decided by myself and an independent advisory panel.
Innovation and technology play a critical role in the success of the retail sector, and it is great to celebrate this with the Retail Technology Innovations report.
We have now started work on the 2025 edition, which will be published both in our magazine and on our website in March of next year. In this issue, we run through a few early contenders for the next top 50.
Elsewhere, RTIH talks social media, physical locations and online opportunities with Louis Rose, Co-founder of Sofa Club, and our secret shopper delves into the online experience offered by Cider, the fast fashion firm that is challenging Shein.
Also, our Editor Scott Thompson highlights the continued importance of high streets and town centres amid the rise in popularity of streaming services and online shopping.
They are vital for the UK’s economic success. But it goes beyond that. They also play a massive role in civic and community life, in a way that Netflix, Amazon et al will never be able to do.
And last but most certainly not least, regular contributor, Mike Cadden, talks about how building a community around your e-commerce brand is a powerful strategy for driving long-term sales and enhancing customer lifetime value.
If you are a retailer and would like to receive a free copy of issue seven of RTIH magazine, please complete the form at the end of this article and we will add you to our mailing list.
It has implemented automation solutions in its Giheung store.
This involves the use of wireless controlled robots to store products in optimised locations. Upon receiving an order, these robots pick the products and transport them to ports where co-workers are stationed.
This reduces the manual labour of walking and picking for co-workers, allowing them to focus on quality and other related tasks.
The picked products are then moved to the automated packaging system, where a 3D scanner creates boxes that fit the product size, and the system automatically handles cutting, taping, weighing, and attaching invoices.
The new technology can process approximately 2,000 orders per day, and can pack 300 boxes per hour.
It also supports sustainable efforts by optimising energy and using existing stores. Ten robots use the same power as one vacuum cleaner, according to Ikea. The automated packing solution creates custom sized boxes from FSC certified cardboard.
200…McDonald’s is set to open 200 stores in the UK and Ireland. The expansion, over the next four years, will create 24,000 new jobs and comes as the company struggled to drive growth in the first half of the year.
Susannah Streeter, Head of Money and Markets, Hargreaves Lansdown, says: “Expansion is on the menu for McDonald’s, as it eyes fresh opportunities amid squeezed consumer budgets. Opening new restaurants to lure in new customers, rather than relying on people ordering more frequently from existing outlets, appears to be its recipe for success.”
“On a like-for-like basis, sales were down 1% at the half year mark, showing just how tough it is has been to persuade customer to spend more at their local fast-food joints. It's investing in putting more value offerings in the mix, but despite its huge scale it's still facing some challenging trading conditions.”
She adds: “The company has already flagged that it expected new openings to make a 2% contribution to restaurant takings by the end of the year and it's clearly set on accelerating that strategy in the years to come.”
“The bias in openings towards franchised operations should help margins once the stores are opening at full throttle. Expect investment too in online services, deliveries and drive thrus, as consumers are still demanding an even more efficient and convenient operation from this giant in the fast food world.”
$2.5 million…Woolworths Group is working on a deal to acquire Takeoff Technologies’ assets for $2.5 million.
The Woolworths Group news was broken on LinkedIn by Brittain Ladd, a supply chain consultant and former Amazon executive, who cited unnamed sources.
Ladd commented: “There are still details being worked out. Note: Woolworths DID NOT buy the company Takeoff Technologies - they only acquired its assets. Takeoff Technologies is effectively out of business.”
He added: “I'm not surprised that the Woolworths Group was the winning bidder as they plan on continuing to utilise Takeoff’s micro-fulfilment centres to fulfil online grocery orders.”
100%…Caffè Nero has become Octopus Energy’s biggest business customer, sourcing 100% green electricity to brew coffee.
The retailer is switching more than 630 stores in the UK to Octopus’ Electric Match tariff.
The Caffè Nero Group’s energy will be sourced from three British solar and wind farms in Yorkshire, Wales and Lincolnshire, which are managed by Octopus Energy’s generation arm and enabled by its platform Kraken.
$31 million…Fresha, a marketplace platform for beauty and wellness, has secured a $31 million venture debt facility from J.P. Morgan.
The funding will accelerate its expansion into new markets and drive the growth of its machine learning capabilities and AI-powered robotics.
By offering a subscription free business software with embedded payment processing and a consumer marketplace, Fresha helps beauty businesses, such as salons, barbershops, spas, and aesthetics clinics, to streamline their entire operations and connect with more customers.
To date, it has raised over $185 million in venture capital funding, including a $150 million Series C round in 2021 led by General Atlantic.
500 and 31…Ted Baker this week announced it would close all its 31 remaining UK stores by Tuesday. Over 500 jobs are at risk from the closures.
It came as the firm behind Ted Baker's UK shops, No Ordinary Designer Label, fell into administration earlier this year. There were hopes a new licensing deal for the brand could be agreed but talks have reportedly stalled.
Susannah Streeter, Head of Money and Markets, Hargreaves Lansdown, says: “The closure of the remaining Ted Baker stores in the UK is the culmination of a slow motion disaster, with roots stretching back to pre-pandemic times.”
“Ted Baker shot into the fashion limelight with tailored ranges that quenched a thirst for luxury amid mid-market shoppers. But allegations of inappropriate behaviour against founder and former chief executive Ray Kelvin tarnished the brand’s image.”
“Had the pandemic not intervened, there may have been a chance to reverse longer-term damage, but the company was then hit by a maelstrom of problems. Although lockdowns were like a bad dream for many retailers, they were a nightmare for Ted Baker, which relied heavily on formal and occasionwear and did not have an effective online operation to rely on.”
“While bigger operations like Next and M&S were able to switch focus to established digital channels and laid-back ranges, Ted Baker floundered, as management failed to switch gears and rev up a turnaround to halt an exodus of customers.”
When Authentic Brands Group snapped up the brand in 2022, there were high hopes of a revival, but the investment needed to rejuvenate the brand didn’t materialise.
The cost-of-living squeeze on fashion budgets was another hammer blow for its mid-market ranges, particularly with online fashion giants like Shein offering highly creative garments at a fraction of the price.
Streeter says: “While Ted Baker appears to be stepping into fashion obscurity in the UK, with the store closures another blow for the high street, the brand will still have life through franchise agreements and licences, particularly overseas.”
“But the dream for standalone boutique stores up and down the country, where aspirational shoppers would be suited and booted has come to a sorry conclusion, in a very tough fashion retail environment.’’
3…East of England Co-op has extended its partnership with Retail Insight for a further three years.
The pair have been working together since 2021, with the retailer leveraging the cloud-based WasteInsight solution to tackle food waste across its estate.
Powered by cognitive technology, this includes forecasting accuracy, expiration management, dynamic markdowns and donations to charities.
East of England Co-op taps WasteInsight to drive better expiration management and smarter markdowns using the Prompted and Dynamic Markdown features within the solution.
£1 million…Pets at Home has announced the re-launch of its Brentford Pet Care Centre as part of its programme to roll-out new concept stores.
This year, the retailer says it is investing in four either existing or new stores to create a ‘concept’ designed to deliver “a truly customer centric experience for pet owners and convey the full Pets at Home omnichannel offering”.
Pets at Home has invested over £1 million in the new look Brentford Pet Care Centre.
It has expanded from 9,000 sq ft. to 14,000 sq ft. and will give local pet owners access to a range of specialist services and in-store experiences tailored to the needs of their furry friends.
The store includes digital and interactive screens to help educate and guide customers through their pet care journey, incorporating interactive experiences. For example, customers can build their own fish tank on-screen.
Brentford marks the second new concept Pet Care Centre opening with the first launched in Hull Anlaby in July. The final two concept locations - Kettering and New Malden - are scheduled to launch later this year.
400…Watsons Turkey reports a milestone of opening its 400th store, located at the Hilltown Shopping Mall in Istanbul.
According to a LinkedIn post: “The new store features a spacious, innovative, and modern layout designed to cater to the evolving needs of its customers with a variety of O+O (Offline Plus Online) services.”
“Watsons Turkey will continue its expansion by planning to open 45 new stores and upgrade 50 locations in 2024, committed to offering seamless and engaging shopping experience to its over 11 million loyalty members.”
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