Delivery robots in the streets of Hamburg, Germany: last week’s biggest technology plays at a glance

RTIH rounds up the stand out retail systems deals, launches, deployments and pilots from the past seven days. Including Starship Technologies, REWE, Veloq, Kingfisher, Holland & Barrett, AutoStore, e.l.f. Cosmetics, Mattel, Roblox, Raising Cane’s, Emperia, Dollar Tree, H&M, Circ, Sainsbury's, Walmart, OpenAI, Ulta Beauty, Wolt, and Pingo Doce.

REWE

Starship Technologies reports the launch of its delivery robots in Germany with REWE.

These are hitting the streets of Hamburg. A REWE Lieferbot service is now live in Barmbek, offering thousands of households grocery deliveries, delivered in minutes.

In a LinkedIn post, Lisa Johnson, VP, Global Public Affairs & Corporate Communications, said: “Today we go live with the second largest retailer in Germany, our good friends at REWE.”

“It's been an interesting public affairs ride (to say the least!). Like many countries, Germany has developed laws to cover large, fast, passenger vehicles that travel on roads. Smaller autonomous devices - like our robots - don't fall neatly into a category.”

She added: “This is the sort of market entry public affairs puzzle we love to solve. It takes creativity, persistence and dynamic cross-functional teams that are ready pivot at the drop of a hat.”

“As I've been travelling Germany, speaking to different cities, states and officials there's been such enthusiasm for innovation, and a clear want to make sure that national regulations encourage responsible tech companies to invest and scale. We're looking forward to working on this in the coming weeks and months.”

Veloq

Veloq, an automation company within Czech online grocer, Rohlik Group, has unveiled a new AI driven grocery fulfilment centre in Vienna.

The launch also marks the announcement of a global partnership with AutoStore.

The facility is pitched as the first AutoStore grid worldwide to integrate real-time expedition, automatically sorting picked orders by delivery route. According to those involved, this eliminates manual sorting and increases throughput while reducing time, labour and cost. It can also be adapted to different fulfillment formats, from large central hubs to smaller purpose built sites, lowering the threshold for retailers to adopt automation.

Orders from a range of up to 20,000 SKUs, can now be routed for delivery in under 30 minutes. These SKUs represent individual products  including fresh produce, bakery and pharmacy.

Under the agreement, Veloq will deploy AutoStore technology with its proprietary software to help grocers tap the same automation that has powered Rohlik’s growth over the past decade. 

Frasers Group

Frasers Group is set to become the first major European retailer to deploy commercetools’ agentic commerce offering - including AI Hub and the Agent Gateway - enabling shoppers to discover and purchase products from its retail ecosystem (which includes Sports Direct) directly within AI shopping channels such as ChatGPT via the Agentic Commerce Protocol (ACP).

"The digital customer ecosystem is evolving faster than ever before, and so are customers’ expectations,” says David Clark, Chief Customer Officer at Frasers Group.

“With this partnership, Frasers Group is now at the forefront of this evolution to deliver enhanced customer experiences across ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity – including native checkout in ChatGPT - across Sports Direct, FLANNELS and FRASERS. This marks a shift in our digital capabilities, delivering an even more intuitive and personalised shopping experience for our consumers.”

“Crucially, it builds on our group wide investment into cutting-edge MACH architecture to lead the group into a new era of seamless agentic commerce.”

BAT and Channel Islands Coop

British American Tobacco (BAT) has partnered with The Channel Islands Co-operative Society (Channel Islands Coop) and Yoti to introduce facial age estimation technology in Coop stores.

Live in ten stores across Jersey, the pilot forms part of BAT’s commitment to combat underage sales and youth access to its tobacco and nicotine products.

BAT currently uses Yoti in more than 600 stores across Europe, planning to reach 1,000 by the end of this year. This includes in BAT owned stores in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, with ongoing implementations in Poland, Italy, and Serbia.

In traditional retail, projects are being conducted with key retail partners in Greece and Hungary. It is also piloting Yoti in trade activities where direct consumer interaction occurs, such as in Poland.

Holland & Barrett

Vineta Bajaj, CFO at Holland & Barrett, has taken to social media to discuss how the retailer is driving automation across its distribution network.

In a LinkedIn post, Bajaj said: “We actually have a shiny new AutoStore getting ready to go live very soon, and it is going to be a game changer for how we move products from warehouse to customer.”

“I’m not sure about you, but I love a good warehouse day. There’s something about walking the floor, seeing the kit in action, and watching robots glide around that just makes me feel right at home.”

She added: “For me, this is where finance, operations and innovation meet, every conveyor belt, sensor and process maps directly to productivity, cost efficiency and ultimately, customer experience.”

“If you’re as obsessed with automation, efficiency and future ready supply chains as I am, and fancy helping us automate the hell out of our distribution, supply chain or last mile, come talk to me. We have fantastic leadership roles open right now and you’ll get to work super closely with me (is that a perk? Idk) and the wider team such as Lisa Widdison (Group Supply Chain & Distribution Director at Holland & Barrett).”

Kingfisher

Tata Consultancy Services has extended its 15-year partnership with Kingfisher, a home improvement retailer with over 1,900 stores across seven countries in the UK and Europe.

Under the new agreement, TCS will help Kingfisher to enhance operational efficiency by deploying automation and artificial intelligence (AI). The pair will establish a joint ‘Innovation and Automation Office’ to integrate emerging technologies and practices, while also reducing operating costs. 

TCS will introduce a domain focused application support structure aligned with Kingfisher’s product and platform approach. It will accelerate the use of automation and AI in IT operations by building on ignio, its SaaS-based AIOps platform, along with its generative AI powered Application Reliability Engineering solution.

These technologies will provide actionable insights and enable predictive and proactive management of IT systems for the retailer.

e.l.f. Cosmetics

e.l.f. Cosmetics, a brand from e.l.f. Beauty, has announced a partnership with Twitch, powered by Amazon Ads, making it the first brand to run an all new and native in-stream live shopping element on the popular streaming service.

The tie up allows viewers to purchase e.l.f. products directly through Twitch streams without interrupting their viewing experience. The eyes.lips.first. shoppable element will initially appear on e.l.f.'s official Twitch channel, e.l.f.YOU!

“When we launched e.l.f.YOU! on Twitch, our vision was simple yet bold - to meet our community where they play, create and connect. Live Streaming on Twitch has always been about self-expression, and we saw an opportunity to ‘game-up’ the space by bringing beauty into the conversation and creating a safe space for every eye, lip and face,” says Patrick O'Keefe, Chief Integrated Marketing Communications Officer at e.l.f. Beauty.

“From the start, e.l.f.YOU! was designed to empower female gamers, celebrate creativity and build confidence at the intersection of makeup and the streaming culture. We didn’t just want to show up on Twitch - we wanted to level it up, amplify voices that were often overlooked and prove that beauty belongs everywhere.”

REWE

Circus Group’s CA-1 robot, pitched as the first ever AI robot for fully autonomous meal production, is about to go live in a REWE store in Germany.

In a LinkedIn post, Nikolas Bullwinkel, Founder and CEO at Circus SE, said: “Our CA-1 robot has landed. Installation at first REWE location in full progress - only days left until launch. Starting in Düsseldorf.”

He added: “For the first time ever, autonomous AI robots will operate inside retail stores to serve customers freshly cooked meals on demand. Fully integrated into your daily shopping experience.”

“Designed to create the very first robotic touchpoint in our everyday lives and make high quality meals affordable and accessible within minutes. Around the clock. Imagine a private chef for everyone! Anytime.”

PURESEOUL

LoyaltyLion has partnered with PURESEOUL, a UK-based specialist Korean beauty retailer, to launch the Cloud Club. 

Known for 60-second ticket sell-outs, queues around the block, and a fanbase of hundreds of thousands, PURESEOUL has built a sizeable community through its playful social presence and immersive in-store experiences.

Evolving from its viral Instagram broadcast channel, the Cloud Club rewards engagement both online and in-store. Members collect “beauty miles” for every pound spent, redeemable for cashback, product rewards, early access to launches, and invitations to exclusive events.

Mattel and Roblox

Mattel and Roblox have announced an expanded collaboration.

Monster High, Mattel’s self-published Roblox experience, debuts on 24th October. Fans can step inside the haunted halls of Monster High, customising their pet “Creepanions,” crafting elixirs in Frankie Stein’s Alchemy Lab, and joining Clawdeen Wolf’s pack to fuel the Ghoulstone for rewards.

Additional experiences will follow, bringing franchises like Barbie, Hot Wheels, Masters of the Universe, and UNO to the lineup of standalone Mattel games on Roblox.

Additionally, Polly Pocket and Street Sharks are now available on the Roblox License Manager and Licenses catalogue, with Matchbox and Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots coming soon. This programme enables IP holders to bring their properties into immersive digital play at scale, giving Roblox developers access to officially licensed assets for gameplay and fan creations.

Raising Cane’s

Raising Cane’s is inviting customers to step inside a haunted version of its restaurants in partnership with Emperia. It has created its first ever haunted restaurant Halloween virtual experience, an interactive, limited time digital adventure anchored around a collectible Cane’s glow in the dark cup.

Designed to bridge the real life experience with the digital world, this features:

Gear Room - browse exclusive Cane’s merch in a virtual shopping experience and discover a mystical crystal ball. Customers can answer five  questions about their Halloween habits to reveal a personalised Cane’s Horoscope - their spooky alter ego for the season.

Capture the Bats Game: Four hidden bats haunt the restaurant. Each discovery unlocks progress, and completing the set delivers a digital reward straight to your inbox.

Arcade Machine: Step up to Cane’s very own retro style arcade. Play the Cryptic Combos Game and advance beyond level one to unlock additional rewards via email.

Menus with a Twist: Just like in a real Cane’s, menus are placed throughout the haunted restaurant, letting customers order their favourite meals. By creating an immersive platform, Cane’s says it can now extend seasonal celebrations and retail moments into dynamic digital spaces - connecting physical products, like the glow in the dark cup, with interactive play, rewards, and social sharing opportunities.

Customers can explore the Haunted Cane’s experience starting 15th October by scanning the QR code on their limited edition Halloween cup.

Sainsbury's

Sainsbury’s Rugby supermarket has become the first complete trial store for the UK grocery giant’s Smartshop Pay on Handset technology.

A pilot launched earlier this year, with shoppers able to pay directly on handheld SmartShop devices, skipping the need to go to the checkout.

While app users have been able to pay on their smartphones since 2022, the initiative marks the first time Sainsbury’s customers are able to complete payment in-store without using a traditional till.

In a LinkedIn post, Rosie Winning, Lead Customer Experience Manager at Sainsbury’s, said: “Something exciting is coming to Rugby….Smartshop Pay on Handset will launch on Monday 13th October.”

She added: “Great day this week to get some of the teams together to discuss how we impact our customers, expand the customer journey and deliver improved technologies for a streamlined front end.”

“We are extremely proud and excited to be the first complete trial store for this technology. The support teams have been instrumental and fantastic in helping us get ready to launch.”

H&M

Circ reports a collaboration with H&M Group. For the first time, the retailer will incorporate Circ’s recycled fibers from polycotton textile waste into its product offerings.

The first products debut during the autumn, with a womenswear v-neck fleece sweatshirt made with Circ polyester and expands in spring 2026 with menswear denim crafted with TENCEL | Circ with REFIBRA technology. 

The Lenzing Group, a provider of regenerated cellulose fibers, plays a central role in this partnership. For the first time, Circ’s recycled pulp will be commercialised through Lenzing’s global supply chain in the form of the aforementioned tech 

Lenzing’s REFIBRA technology uses textile waste as a raw material, in addition to wood sources from certified or controlled origins. Within this partnership the Lyocell fiber branded under TENCEL | Circ with REFIBRA technology is crafted with 30% Circ pulp from recycled textile waste.

This builds on the global SWITCH2CE programme led by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), and a two-year pilot with Intellecap and H&M Group, through which Circ piloted its recycling technology with H&M Group’s suppliers in Bangladesh, recycling 2.6 tonnes of polycotton waste into Circ Lyocell and Circ Polyester.

Dollar Tree

Legion Technologies is partnering with Dollar Tree with the aim of delivering enhanced labour optimisation and associate engagement to its fleet of stores and distribution centres across North America.

“As a retailer with more than 9,000 stores, 18 distribution centres, and over 150,000 associates, we needed a next-generation solution that would allow us to better manage our labour budget while increasing associate engagement. Legion’s platform showed us we didn’t have to compromise,” says Jocelyn Konrad, Chief at Dollar Tree Stores and Enterprise Operations.

“With Legion’s support, we are enhancing our workforce operations to improve our associate workflows while delivering genuine value for our business.”

“By automating thousands of routine tasks across more than 9,000 stores, the Legion WFM platform will help Dollar Tree drive consistent execution and improve performance at scale,” says Sanish Mondkar, CEO at Legion Technologies.

“The platform also enhances compliance through powerful automation and visibility tools across multiple jurisdictions, while delivering advanced demand forecasting to optimise labour utilisation and ensure appropriate staffing levels.”

Walmart

Walmart has announced a new partnership with OpenAI that will start with allowing customers and members to soon shop with the US retail giant through ChatGPT using Instant Checkout.

“For many years now, e-commerce shopping experiences have consisted of a search bar and a long list of item responses. That is about to change. There is a native AI experience coming that is multi-media, personalised and contextual. We are running towards that more enjoyable and convenient future with Sparky and through partnerships including this important step with OpenAI,” says Doug McMillon, President and CEO at Walmart.

“We’re excited to partner with Walmart to make everyday purchases a little simpler. It’s just one way AI will help people every day under our work together,” says Sam Altman, Co-founder and CEO at OpenAI.

Ulta Beauty

Ulta Beauty reports that UB Marketplace - a curated marketplace dedicated to beauty and wellness - is now live on ulta.com and the brand’s app.

This serves as a key element of the company’s Ulta Beauty Unleashed strategy to scale new businesses.

UB Marketplace - powered by Mirakl technology - expands Ulta Beauty’s e-commerce presence and aims to offer guests a broader, complementary assortment across beauty, wellness and adjacent lifestyle categories. The platform is only open, by invitation, to brands and not third-party sellers.

“UB Marketplace allows us to deliver more newness, faster entry into emerging subcategories and trends, and deeper category authority – while keeping the guest experience unmistakably Ulta Beauty,” says Lauren Brindley, Chief Merchandising and Digital Officer at Ulta Beauty.

“This thoughtfully curated model scales discovery and brand building for our partners, and ensures guests enjoy the same benefits they love  - Ulta Beauty Rewards, easy returns and a unified, trusted shopping experience.”

Ulta Beauty says that it plans to quickly scale its UB Marketplace assortment over the next 12-18 months.

Wolt

Wolt Ads has announced an expansion of its capabilities with five new partnerships.

Wolt's advertising service for merchants, brands and agencies has teamed up with AdTech players Koddi, Magnite, Skaiand StackAdapt, in a bid to strengthen its position in the retail media landscape.

The collaborations make it possible for advertisers to broaden their campaigning across social platforms, search engines, and the other online spaces consumers use regularly, including linking off platform interactions directly to in-app purchases.

Businesses, including smaller brands, can now also create and launch video ads for streaming services and connected TV in minutes, reaching audiences wherever they are watching.

Alongside this, Wolt Ads is extending its offline capabilities with a growing fleet of electric vehicles to offer brands a scalable, out-of-home platform. Developed by The Better Cities Company as a flexible alternative to traditional offline advertising, they allow for hyperlocal, sustainable campaigns in city centres, as consumers commute and socialise.

HelloFresh

Checkout.com has announced a new partnership with HelloFresh. The aim of the tie up is to help HelloFresh simplify and optimise its payments across all of its global markets.

With operations in 18 markets spanning the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and across Europe, it needed a payments partner that could keep pace with its scale.

Local acquiring services from Checkout.com’s network connect it directly with banks and card networks, while ensuring payments are fast, secure, and high performing. Checkout.com runs more than 80 million AI powered optimisations every day, applying changes across its network to increase payment performance for all relevant merchants.

"Our mission is to change the way people eat forever, making it easier for households everywhere to enjoy home cooked meals,” says Tessa Rötzmeier, Senior Director Product at HelloFresh. “Partnering with Checkout.com as a trusted global partner means we can continue to expand, innovate, and deliver even greater convenience and reliability in the years ahead, while ensuring every customer has a smooth and reliable payments experience.”

Pingo Doce

Pingo Doce, which is part of is part of Jerónimo Martins, a food retailer with over 5,700 stores across Portugal, Poland, and Colombia, has teamed with SymphonyAI in a bid to monetise insights, drive precision execution, and give CPG partners a real-time edge.

Instead of static dashboards or flat file reports, suppliers now get direct access to actionable intelligence. CPG partners can run “what if” scenarios, optimise promotions and assortments, and see projected revenue impacts, collaborating in real-time with Pingo Doce category teams.

Powered by SymphonyAI’s CINDE Connected Retail platform, Pingo Doce says it is combining PoS, assortment and shelf data into a single intelligent layer.

El Corte Inglés

El Corte Inglés has joined Bolt Food’s on demand delivery platform.

In a LinkedIn post, Guilherme Oliveira, Groceries & Retail in Portugal Lead at Bolt Food, said: “We’re excited to bring one of Portugal’s most trusted retailers to the platform, making it easier than ever for customers to access premium groceries, delivered fast and reliably.”

He added: “From fresh produce to pantry staples, El Corte Inglés offers the quality and convenience our users expect, and this partnership marks a key milestone in our retail expansion strategy. PS. More leading retailers are joining us soon, stay tuned.”

Hilton Anatole

The Hilton Anatole hotel in Dallas, Texas has deployed digital wayfinding technology from Living Map. 

With more than 1,600 guest rooms and 600,000 square feet of meeting, exhibition and ballroom space, the venue hosts everything from family getaways to conventions, weddings and performances.

Navigating such a big space can be a challenge. To address this, Hilton Anatole has introduced Living Map’s digital mapping and wayfinding, available on mobile, the hotel website and kiosks located in key reception areas.

Guests can now find meeting points, exhibition halls, group parties and events, while hotel staff can instantly update rooms, create bespoke routing and manage visitor flow. The system also supports accessibility, offering stair free routes and real-time updates on out-of-service lifts, escalators, or restrooms. QR codes guide guests directly to their destination.

Tesco

Tesco has launched new accessibility modes to help visually impaired customers on its self-service checkouts in both UK and ROI Tesco stores.

This enables shoppers to adjust accessibility settings, with a choice of high contrast modes and text adjustments.

In a LinkedIn post, Sarah Quiggin, Head of Product - Store Customer Transactions at Teco, said: “Its a great example of the incremental (and hopefully transformational) changes we can do now we have our amazing new till platform at scale across multiple countries.”

She added: “We know there's so much more we could do but this is a big step forward. Huge thank you to my fantastic product team, design, engineering and programme teams that made this all possible. A great “every little help.”

Superdrug

Health and beauty retailer, Superdrug, has announced a new fundraising initiative to support Mind.

The partnership aims to help raise awareness and funds for those living with mental health problems, as 1.6 million people await care and sit on waiting lists across the UK.

It will see Mind collaborate with Pennies - a micro-donation platform that allows Superdrug customers to tap and donate at checkout while purchasing products.

Timed to launch around World Mental Health Day (10th October), Superdrug and Mind aim to reach over one million people through the two-month campaign, which will be live in store from 8th October to 1st December.

It will feature a series of activations designed to raise awareness and encourage public engagement.

Within the Stratford Westfield store, customers will be invited to contribute to physical “walls of pledges,” sharing personal commitments to support wellbeing and mental health. In addition, Mind will be spotlighted through Superdrug’s in-store radio, with lived experience voices sharing their stories and messages, alongside signposting to local Mind services and support.

Walmart

Powered by TalkShopLive, Walmart Live was out in force at New York Comic Con, which took place from 9th-12th October.

In a LinkedIn post, Justin Breton, Head of Brand Partnerships & Emerging Experiences at Walmart, said: "We’re bringing livestream shopping to the heart of fandom, letting fans see, ask, and buy what they love in real-time."

"From exclusive comic drops to limited edition collectibles, Walmart is turning the show floor into a shoppable experience and proving how livestreams can deepen engagement and drive trust in the collectibles space."

"Why our activation matters: Collectors crave authenticity and community; The global collectibles market is worth $294 billion; Live shopping is growing 30%+ annually. This is storytelling, scarcity, and fandom coming together. Livestream shopping is ultimately reshaping how collectors discover and shop. And fans saying “watching live” makes them more confident in what they buy."

Grubhub and Avride

Grubhub is powering robot delivery at more than 40 US campuses nationwide. And in partnership with Avride, it has now completed over 100,000 autonomous deliveries at The Ohio State University's Columbus campus.

In a LinkedIn post, Avride said: "Our programme at OSU is the largest single site robot food delivery operation in the US, and it’s been amazing to see students embrace this innovative, convenient way to get their favourite meals on campus.”

“Here’s to 100,000 deliveries (and counting!) - and to continuing to shape the future of delivery together with Avride and The Ohio State University. Every day, over 100 robots bring orders from the restaurants right to students across OSU."