Topshop gets physical and HIVED leaves London: RTIH brings you the retail technology week in numbers

Do you like numbers? Do you like retail systems news? Then this is the article for you. Including AliExpress, Simbe, Lula Commerce, Royal Mail, Lowe's, Whatnot, Gopuff, Grubhub, Evri, and Asda.

4...Topshop is returning to physical retail with a series of exclusive pop-ups launching in select John Lewis locations, five years after it closed all of its UK stores.

Launching from 3rd November, Topshop will be available in four stores across the country with pop-ups on the womenswear floor of John Lewis’ London Oxford Street, Bristol, Leeds, and Liverpool branches.

Each one will feature a curated selection of around 30 pieces, changing weekly and available in-store and via the John Lewis app.

The first 100 customers in each store will receive a Topshop tote bag, with further giveaways planned throughout the six-week takeover. In Oxford Street, the brand will host weekly DJ sessions every Thursday evening from 13th November.

8...HIVED is expanding its service beyond Greater London for the first time, to bring parcel delivery to customers in eight cities and towns across the UK. 

It will now deliver parcels through its fully electric fleet in Bath, Bournemouth, Brighton, Bristol, Poole, Portsmouth, Southampton, and Worthing.

HIVED has grown across London in recent years, delivering millions of parcels for retail partners like Nespresso, Liberty of London, Gousto, and John Lewis, while maintaining a 99+% on-time attempted rate.

4,000 and 300%...Cyber criminals are stepping up their surveillance of British businesses, scanning online devices more than 4,000 times a day to identify gaps in security, according to network data released by BT. 

Malicious scouting raids, which increasingly use automated ‘bots’ to look for weaknesses across organisations’ networks, have risen 300% in the last 12 months as hackers zero in on web connected devices.

This can range from company laptops and mobile phones through to IoT devices such as office security cameras. Once a system vulnerability has been identified, it can lead to the launch of a cyber attack such as ransomware, which can compromise an entire business.  

BT’s data shows that professional services such as accountancy, legal and consultancy firms are the most targeted sector for ransomware attacks, followed by retail businesses. The hospitality and leisure sector is the third largest victim in the last year, as criminals look to exploit valuable guest data and payment details.

Ransomware hits smaller businesses the hardest, with firms employing fewer than 25 staff the most targeted group for attacks. 

1,500...Alibaba owned AliExpress is taking on its rivals, such as Amazon, with a new Best Price Guarantee scheme.

The online retail marketplace says it will match over 1,500 branded products on Amazon, Temu, Shein and eBay.

Consumers can shop for items in the Brand+ channel marked with Best Price Guarantee on the product page. If they can find a lower price on another designated e-commerce platform, within seven days of purchase, AliExpress will refund the difference.

Bonnie Zhao, AliExpress UK’s General Manager, says: “We are constantly investing to improve the shopping experience for our customers by providing them with high quality, top brands at competitive prices, delivered quickly.”

“That is why we are making Brand+ available across over 1,500 brands, with more to come on the AliExpress platform. We continue to give customers the widest possible choice of great value, branded products.”

17...Simbe reports deployment of Tally, its autonomous shelf-scanning robot, at Harmons, an independent grocer in Utah, USA.

Following a five store roll-out, Tally is now live across 17 of Harmons locations.

The robot captures real-time, shelf-level data on product availability, pricing and placement, with the aim of enabling Harmons to achieve cleaner data, better execution and minimise out of stock inventory.

“It’s not uncommon for associates to have been part of the Harmons’ grocer family for 20, 30, even 40 years, and we wanted to ensure we were introducing tech to fit their world,” says Bruce Hatch, Chief Information Officer at Harmons.

“Our goal for Tally was to empower and support our associates while also improving our operations and the customer experience. Simbe proved to be the perfect partner. Tally provides reliable, actionable data that helps our teams execute better, reduce missed sales opportunities, protect margin, and allow us to focus on what matters the most, our customers. It’s an essential part of how we continue evolving our business while staying true to our values.” 

1...Lowe’s has this week hosted its first ever Marketplace Seller Summit.

In a LinkedIn post, dated 28th October, Joe Cano, SVP of Digital at Lowe’s Digital, said: “The future of home improvement is being built…right here, right now. Today, we hosted our first ever Lowe’s Marketplace Seller Summit, bringing together the innovators and entrepreneurs who will help us shape the next chapter of our digital journey.”

He added: “Marketplace isn’t a side initiative, it’s a core growth engine for Lowe’s. Together with our sellers, we’re expanding our aisle beyond the four walls of our stores, accelerating online sales, and delivering the choice, convenience, and value our customers expect in a connected world.”

Cano noted that AI, personalisation, and omnichannel innovation are transforming how we shop, how we sell, and how we serve. “Our mission is simple: to make Lowe’s the most assistive, trusted, and innovative home improvement retailer, powered by technology and partnership,” he said.

“The future of retail is collaborative, data driven, and customerobsessed. And with our sellers at the center, we’re just getting started.”

$8 million and $16 million...Lula Commerce, a provider of AI powered digital commerce technology for convenience retailers, has raised an $8 million Series A round led by SEMCAP AI, with participation from Rich Products Ventures, GO PA Fund, NZVC, UP.Partners, Green Circle Foodtech Ventures, and Outlander VC.

This brings its total capital raised to over $16 million.

Lula Commerce’s platform includes Lula Hub, which unifies third-party delivery services like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub into a single dashboard; Lula Direct, which powers branded web and mobile ordering; and Lula Operators, a suite of 30+ AI driven tools that automate refunds, reviews, uptime, and other critical operations.

In recent months, the company has scaled to serve the likes of Circle K (franchisees), United Pacific (Rocket/Alta Stores), Jacksons Food Stores, Par Mar Stores, Clipper Petroleum, and more than 50 regional convenience chains across the US, including thousands of franchisees operating within those groups.

14 and 1...Royal Mail and UPP are teaming up to introduce parcel lockers at 14 student residences across the UK. This is the first partnership between Royal Mail and a student accommodation provider.

The first locker is now up and running at Nottingham Trent University. These feature label printing, with the aim of making the process more convenient for customers who do not have access to a printer.

Customers need to pay for postage online and print the label by scanning a QR code at the locker or request a QR code if they are returning a purchase.

With long-term partnerships with 15 top UK universities, UPP has over 35,000 rooms for students under management or in construction.

85%...UK business leaders are planning to increase investment in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (AI) over the next 12 months, according to PwC’s 2026 Global Digital Trust Insights survey.  

This interviewed 3,887 business and tech executives from across 72 countries and territories, including 334 from the United Kingdom. Of the 334 UK participants, 50% best described their role as related to business, 45% to data and privacy tech, and 5% to tech security.

The data shows UK organisations see cyber investment and strategic adaptations as business critical priorities, with 85% expecting cyber budgets to increase over the next 12 months and 56% anticipating increased investment by more than 6%. Furthermore, 69% of UK businesses say their cyber risk investment strategy needs to change to meet the demands of the geopolitical landscape over the next 12 months. 

While raising cyber budgets is evidently a priority, ensuring resilience against an expanding range of digital threats remains a challenge. Only 51% of UK organisations believe they are “very capable” of addressing a major cyber attack targeting network architecture.

$225 million...Whatnot, a live shopping platform in the US, UK, and Europe, has secured $225 million in Series F funding, co-led by DST Global and CapitalG. New investors Sequoia Capital and Alkeon Capital joined the round, alongside returning backers Greycroft, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), avra, and BOND. 

The company has raised approximately $968 million since its founding in 2019.

The new financing values it at $11.5 billion, more than double its valuation at the start of 2025.

“The conversation around live shopping has changed. We’re no longer asking if it will catch on. Whatnot is proving that live shopping is retail’s new normal,” says Grant LaFontaine, Co-founder and CEO at Whatnot.

“This funding represents both investor conviction and consumer confidence in our vision for the future of live commerce. With this capital, we will create more opportunities to help sellers build profitable businesses from their passions to delight buyers around the globe.”

$10 million...Millions of Americans are set to lose access to SNAP benefits next month amid the government shutdown.

In an effort to help SNAP recipients continue accessing the groceries they need amid this gap in aid Gopuff says it is donating up to $10 million in total relief, offering $50 credit for SNAP eligible items, delivered for free in as fast as 15 minutes.

The credit is available to customers nationwide who have a SNAP EBT card connected to their Gopuff account, or who add their card.

The announcement builds on the firm’s efforts to combat food insecurity and improve food access. Since 2019, it has partnered with Feeding America to support food banks across the US, donating over 1.1 million pounds of food in 2024. 

8...Virgin Media O2 is teaming with Netflix for a Stranger Things immersive pop-up experience at eight O2 stores across the UK, including Edinburgh, Manchester and London, starting from now and running until January.

Visitors can step back into the 1980s through zones filled with nostalgic touchpoints - from posing on the famous Byers’ sofa beneath the alphabet wall to taking part in an interactive quiz that sees the room light up with every correct answer.

Fans can relive their favourite moments with a retro wall phone playing iconic lines, a boombox pumping out 80s hits, and test their gaming skills on Dig Dug. A themed coffee table will also feature a vintage viewfinder and calendar revealing key season five dates.

50 and 51...EE ended last week with the launch of its 50th and 51st Experience stores with Watford and Aberdeen going live, the latter being the third to open in Scotland in the last month.

In a LinkedIn post, Asif Aziz, Retail Director at EE/BT Group, said: "Since we launched our revamped retail strategy just over two years ago, our mission has been to reinvigorate bricks and mortar retail, bringing new and exciting experiences to the UK high street. With each new store, we have created tech hubs for local communities across the country to explore, play and connect with technology, all while receiving expert guidance from our excellent EE Guides."

He added: "As we reach this exciting milestone, I’d like to acknowledge all the hard work of our teams who have made this happen across EE and BT Group, as well as say a big thanks to all our customers who have supported us. Here’s to the next 50!"

1...Nestlé has completed the first part of an overhaul of its global digital core with what is pitched as the world's largest ever SAP upgrade to SAP S/4HANA Cloud Private edition.

It says that this will enable the deployment of AI at scale to achieve better insights as well as the automation and improvement of processes across the company's business operations.

It includes embedding SAP's AI copilot directly into Nestlé's core business systems to help employees access insights, automate routine tasks, and make faster, more informed decisions. This will help Nestlé better respond to changing consumer trends and retailer needs and improve efficiency in areas such as supply chain management, procurement, order fulfilment for retailers and investment prioritisation.  

Anna Manz, Nestlé CFO and responsible for Integrated Business Services, says: "Driving growth through innovation is a top priority. We are transforming our business to invest more boldly in the best opportunities. We need to combine great consumer insights and innovation with flexibility and scale, to provide great quality products to consumers around the world when, where and how they want them."

"This upgrade will help us build multi-year innovation pipelines, more agile production and digital-first marketing and sales platforms for areas like cold coffee, therapeutic pet food and modern cooking aids."

300 and 1,200...Evri and Asda have announced a new partnership that will see the roll-out of ParcelShops in all the latter’s stores, which, they claim, is a first for a UK supermarket.

The tie up will allow customers to collect and return parcels from thousands of different retailers, at their local Asda store.

The service recently launched in over 300 Asda locations, its Express convenience sites and some of its supermarkets and superstores. It will eventually be rolled out to all 1,200 Asda stores across the UK by April next year.

The announcement follows Evri’s £50 million investment, revealed in June, to double its network of ParcelShops and lockers to 25,000 locations by 2030.

24...Sereact, a specialist in AI driven robotics, and Rohlik Group, a European online grocer, are teaming up.

A roll-out begins with 24 robots across Rohlik’s German and Austrian brands - Knuspr and Gurkerl - operating in Berlin and Vienna fulfilment centres, with Frankfurt to follow. The programme is designed to expand quickly, with both companies aiming to deploy more than 100 robots as the partnership grows.

This will allow Rohlik to optimise key parameters such as throughput, reliability, and the coordination between fresh and dry food zones.

“Rohlik is showing how AI robotics can scale beyond pilots and single sites,” says Ralf Gulde, CEO at Sereact. “With 24 additional robots committed and a roadmap targeting more than 100 across its European network, Rohlik is setting a new benchmark for what large scale robotic fulfilment can look like in grocery e-commerce.”

1...Grubhub is expanding its partnership with Avride to launch a robot delivery pilot for customers ordering from Wonder's Jersey City location.

This marks the first time Grubhub has offered autonomous delivery in its marketplace outside of college campuses - and the first time Wonder is bringing robot delivery to its customers.

During the pilot, customers can place orders from Wonder's Jersey City location through the Grubhub platform as usual. If an eligible delivery address is within a set range of the restaurant, they will have the option to choose delivery via an Avride robot.

Following the pilot, Grubhub plans to implement any learnings and expand autonomous delivery to additional markets nationwide.

£10 million...AI powered climate tech platform, Mondra, has announced the closure of its Series A funding round, raising £10 million from investors including AlbionVC, Planet A, Swisscom, PeakBridge, Ponderosa Ventures and Green Circle Foodtech Ventures.

Led by AlbionVC and Planet A Ventures, the fundraise will accelerate Mondra’s expansion into key European markets including the Netherlands, Germany, and France. It will also support the development of new product capabilities, extending beyond emissions management into supply chain disruption and climate risk management.

Mondra was developed in coalition with the British Retail Consortium (BRC), whose members include retailers Tesco, M&S, Co-op, Ocado Retail, Asda, Lidl, Aldi, Pets at Home, and Sainsbury’s; suppliers including Avara, Samworth Brothers, Greencore, Pilgrim’s, Dunbia, Cranswick, and Bakkavor; and brands such as Starbucks and Nando’s.

Together with NGOs and government partners, this coalition is working to establish a unified standard for measuring product level performance, with the aim of creating a level playing field that enables consistent and credible measurement across the food industry.