High profile departures and delivery robot firsts: presenting 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, Tesco, EE, MINISO, DoorDash, Kroger, Nobody's Child, Gain, Yocuda, i-Genie, DHL eCommerce, and Reveni.

£33.1 billion...Tesco's first half sales were up 5.1% to £33.1 billion.

Underlying operating profit increased 1.6% to £1.7 billion. And full year guidance was raised from £2.7-£3 billion to £2.9-£3.1 billion.

Derren Nathan, Head of Equity Research, Hargreaves Lansdown, says: “Tesco’s stores and vans have delivered a little extra in the first half. Underlying operating profit of £1.7 billion came in a shade ahead of market forecasts, but intensified competition and cost pressures meant that growth in profits lagged sales by some margin. Still, management were confident enough to raise the mid-point of full-year profit guidance by 5% to £3.0 billion. It’s not a spectacular change, but every little helps."

"Tesco’s broad offer to customers at all price-points is helping it to drive sustained market share gains, something it’s done in practically every month of the last two years. Competition remains fierce and household budgets are under pressure, but Tesco is well placed to continue investing in value and quality. However, the valuation feels broadly up with events, so today’s upgrade is unlikely to spark too much excitement on the stock market.”

6...Ikea reports the launch of its sixth Collect parcel locker location at Tesco in the UK.

The service enables customers to order online and pick up from Tesco car parks.

In a LInkedIn post, Ikea’s Marlein Wiertsema said: “Thanks David Mansfield (Fulfilment Development and Multichannel Network Project Implementation Manager at Ikea) for driving and maturing this service across the UK and supporting all our local and global colleagues, and of course Youssef Zouhair (Country Customer Fulfilment Manager) for being such a great sponsor.”

She added: “But we’re not stopping there, next to this service already being available in Belgium and the Netherlands, we have exciting plans to expand further across Europe and Asia. While our UK collaboration is thriving, we’re still on the hunt for the perfect locker spots in other markets.”

“It’s a challenge, but one worth tackling - because offering affordable, flexible delivery options closer to where people live (without needing to be at the doorstep) is key to making everyday life easier both for the customer and for us retailers.”

18...Stuart Hill has departed DHL eCommerce where he served as UK CEO.

He took on the role last year, with a CV that included stints as COO at luxury fashion site, Matches Fashion UK, and senior operational roles with retailers including John Lewis, Asos and Farfetch. In 2012, he co-founded an international delivery and returns company, wnDirect.

In a LinkedIn post, Hill said: “18 months ago, I took on the biggest challenge of my career - leading DHL eCommerce UK through a period of huge change and into a merger with Evri. As they say, all good things come to an end - and today, I move on.”

He added: “It’s been tough. Honestly, the toughest role I’ve had. But also the most rewarding. We reset the strategy, rebuilt commercial momentum, opened a new hub and completed one the biggest deals and mergers in UK logistics history.”

“That’s why this next step hasn’t been easy. The merger with Evri is, in my view, the best thing that could have happened - the people, the tech, the capabilities are world class. Getting to know Martijn de Lange and the Evri team has been an honour, and it makes this the hardest decision of my career to date.”

1 and 4...EE is opening the first of its Experience stores in Scotland, with a launch this week in Glasgow. The new store, situated in the city’s Braehead Shopping Centre, will see a guest appearance from former Scotland rugby captain John Barclay, who will cut the ribbon and welcome its first visitors. 

Glasgow is the fourth Experience store launch of 2025, following Merry Hill in the West Midlands, as well as Sheffield and Nottingham earlier this year. All of these are part of EE’s £3 million investment into bricks and mortar retail this year as it continues to roll-out the experiential format across the UK. 

The Glasgow store has been designed to help customers test out the best smart tech, while also providing support from EE’s in-store staff for those looking for help with their devices. It features Experience Zones themed around four key areas – Game, Work, Learn, and Home – along with a Tech Home area showcasing the future of connected living.  

1 million...Nobody’s Child has completed one million orders since its switch to Shopify earlier this year, the e-commerce platform announced at eCommerce Expo at Excel London last week.

Andrew Xeni, Founder and CEO at Nobody’s Child, told delegates it had taken the company two years to make the decision to switch platforms.

“The biggest thing for me was trying to remove the emotion from the decision,” he explained. “Loyalty is important, but business has to come first.”

The Chief Financial Officer calculated how much was being lost to doing things ad hoc, with “multifaceted bottlenecks” constraining the business. “Our tech wasn’t fit for purpose,” Xeni said.

341...Pop culture and lifestyle brand MINISO has announced the opening of its latest store at The Glades Shopping Centre in Bromley on Friday, 3rd October at 12pm.

The retailer is promising an extensive range of products, including Vinyl Plush, blind boxes, plush toys, beauty essentials, lifestyle accessories, and snacks.

In addition, customers will have access to exclusive licensed collections featuring globally recognised brands such as Sanrio, One Piece, Disney, and Crayon Shinchan.

The new 341m2 retail space follows openings this year at locations including Glasgow Central, Croydon, Kingston, Glasgow Braehead and Liverpool.

$6 million...Returnalyze, an AI powered returns prevention platform, has closed a $6 million Series A1 round led by Fintop Capital.  Blu Ventures, Osage Venture Partners and Data Point Capital also participated in the round.

This will support hiring, including expansion of the engineering and data science teams to accelerate AI powered features and support retailers from initial purchase through to post-return customer engagement.

Also, continued build out of Returnalyze's portfolio of APIs and partnerships with platforms like Shopify, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, and logistics providers

The company works with the likes of J.Crew, Abercrombie & Fitch, Wolverine, and Perry Ellis.

Rick Cramer, CEO at Returnalyze, says: “Our platform transforms returns from a cost centre into a strategic advantage by delivering root cause analysis, predictive insights, industry benchmarking and automated recommendations across product development, inventory management, e-commerce and customer experience.”

“By enabling new use cases around customer retention and operational efficiency, including predictive return scoring and automated inventory adjustments based on return patterns detected within hours, retailers can add tens and even hundreds of millions of dollars to their bottom line, while simultaneously enhancing the customer experience.”

1...DoorDash is laying claim to the first commercial autonomous delivery robot that navigates bike lanes, roads, and sidewalks, and is purpose built for local commerce.

Developed in-house by DoorDash Labs, Dot integrates with its existing marketplace infrastructure and new autonomous delivery platform.

At one-tenth the size of a car, Dot can reach speeds of up to 20 mph. It is built for neighbourhood trips and its all electric design helps reduce congestion and emissions.

This is beginning with an early access programme in Tempe and Mesa, Arizona. DoorDash is launching it in the greater Phoenix metro area, marking the beginning of its commercial deployment and paving the way for future expansion into multiple new markets.

50...Yocuda, a digital receipt technology specialist, reports that its customer identification and engagement software is now live in over 50 countries.

The latest countries to go live include Romania, Thailand and Vietnam.

Yocuda works with the likes of M&S, Decathlon, Brunello Cucinelli, Longchamp, Sainsbury’s, PUIG, and Sephora.

This growth comes as Italy announces plans to follow France in phasing out paper receipts from 2027. Other countries are expected to follow suit.

Edward Drax, MD at Yocuda, says: “Getting to 50 countries is a huge moment for us. It shows just how many retailers are looking for new ways to connect with their customers, cut down on waste, and make better use of their in-store data.”

“We’re really proud of how far we’ve come, but we know this is just the start. Our goal is simple – to help retailers give shoppers a smoother, more personalised experience, without the need for paper receipts.”

$12 million...Gain, a startup providing AI employees for hire, has emerged from stealth, announcing a $12 million seed funding round led by The Garage. Other investors include BlueRed Partners and Bazan Group.

Gain, which was previously known as Velon and was launched by Michael Gabay, who co-founded and was President at autonomous stores specialist Trigo, has created an autonomous workforce layer that manages end-to-end procurement and operational workflows - from category and merchandising strategy, sourcing and negotiations to contract execution, transaction processing and exception management, all integrated with ERP, productivity, collaboration and procurement technologies.

“We’ve gained unique experience supporting customer and vendor facing agentic solutions that drive revenue, and we see Gain as a key standout in this space,” says Eyal Radler, Managing Partner at The Garage.

“Alongside its groundbreaking R&D work, Gain is disrupting the traditional SaaS pay-per-seat model with its pay-per-outcome approach to encourage early adoption. The team has a unique advantage in its unparalleled access to customers, which today is often the most significant moat.”

“In addition, they are creating proprietary data sets that further strengthen their position and build a durable long-term edge. We’re very excited to be working with the team and look forward to ushering in our new AI workforce.”

€7.5 million...Madrid-based e-commerce technology startup Reveni has closed a €7.5 million Series A. The company centralises global sales, returns, and logistics in one dashboard, integrating with e-commerce platforms to optimise purchase and post-purchase flows.

The funding will help strengthen its presence in the UK and the EU, while also enabling it to boost its product and grow its team.

“We believe the next wave of global commerce won’t be built on legacy systems but on platforms that give brands the power to operate seamlessly across borders. Our goal is to build technology that adapts to an increasingly complex and unpredictable trade environment, helping brands stay resilient where many struggle,” says Fernando Pedraz, Co-Founder and CEO at Reveni. 

“This investment round gives us the resources to continue launching solutions the market has never seen before, as we did with instant refunds and instant exchanges, and accelerate our international expansion across Europe.”

“Our ambition is clear: to give every brand, no matter its size, the same capabilities as the world’s largest retailers. It’s another step towards building the global operating system that allows e-commerce to truly scale without borders.”

2,700...DoorDash and Kroger have expanded their Stateside relationship to cover almost 2,700 of the latter’s stores. Beginning 1st October, customers will be able to shop Kroger’s full grocery assortment across banners like Mariano’s, Fred Meyer, Ralphs, and Harris Teeter, on DoorDash.

Along with fast delivery, they will get Kroger deals and loyalty programme discounts integrated into the DoorDash app.

“Customers are looking for more convenient ways to shop at their local Kroger store, and delivery is an increasingly important way they engage with us. We want to provide customers what they want, how they want it, without asking them to compromise on value,” says Yael Cosset, Executive Vice President and Chief Digital Officer at Kroger.

“Today marks another step in our journey to simplify customers’ lives. We are bringing our high quality, fresh, full grocery assortment to new customers. We are making it easier to shop in the way that best fits their day. And we are offering lower prices and more relevant offers to drive more traffic, which increases the data we use to power our retail media business.”

$7.5 million...i-Genie, an AI powered consumer insights platform founded by former Unilever EVP Stan Sthanunathan, and Paul van Gendt, who ran the People Data Centre at Unilever, has raised $7.5 million in Series A funding.

The round was led by Mudita Ventures and Silicon Road Ventures, with participation from retail and marketing tech investors Deborah Weinswig, Todd E. Benson and Vine Stone Ventures.

“i-Genie is democratising access to actionable insights across our organisation in 30 countries. It has enabled our Category and Customer Teams to go beyond “following” trending consumer pulse into LEADING insight generation  by delivering  complex analysis in a simple, streamlined and powerful platform immediately” says Analia De la Fuente, Global Chief Insights and Analytics Officer at Bayer. 

“This level of speed and precision transforms how we innovate and compete globally.”

1,000...European co-delivery service, Shopopop, is expanding its Carrefour collaboration to include 1,000+ stores.

In a LinkedIn post, Antonie Truong, Head of Expansion at Shopopop, said: "When we say innovation drives our clients’ businesses, we mean it: we will soon have +1,000 Carrefour stores completing last mile deliveries with us throughout Europe."

"In 2020, we first partnered with Carrefour to test the concept of crowdshipping fleet in France. Based on our learnings, we can clearly see how this model can boost delivery flexibility and geographical coverage for their consumers."

He added: "So we’re expanding our partnership… in a big way! This year, we’re adding +15 stores every month, and this might be doubled in 2026. Our community of drivers complete deliveries from their stores in rural and suburban areas. Importantly, this sets us up for scaled expansion moving forward."

"In my opinion, our last mile supply chain model with Shopopop is one of the most efficient and innovative and this collaboration is just one more proof point. All credit goes to our community and stores with their highly picking qualified team."

76%...UK retailers must urgently address the accelerating loss of nature and biodiversity or they risk jeopardising supply chain resilience, according to British Retail Consortium (BRC).

Its report, Planning for Nature, reveals that 76% have no targets on protecting nature. 52% are yet to make any public commitments on nature, and 67% lack a data led strategy. This is due to barriers such as budget constraints, data gathering, and ensuring suppliers take action.

At the same time, however, 29% of retailers are developing public commitments. 24% are starting to engage with their suppliers on nature. 29% are working on a nature strategy. 25% say nature is a top business priority for the year ahead

Over the next year, retailers - with support from the BRC - will focus on creating workable nature policies, establishing standardised metrics, improving supplier engagement, and building the business case for nature. The UK government is also set to publish its revised Environment Improvement Plans.

Andrew Opie, Director of Food & Sustainability at the BRC, says: “Despite the huge costs and pressures in supply chains, it is imperative that we maintain progress to protect and restore our environment.”

“It is great to see such a number and variety of UK retailers stepping up to their responsibilities, working with their suppliers to make practical changes to reduce our impact on the environment, all the while maintaining affordability and choice for customers. We look forward to seeing the government’s revised Environment Improvement Plans, and working closely with them and retailers to make further progress in this critical area.”