Tesco embraces AI and automation: our most read retail technology articles from last week
Check out our most clicked retail technology articles from last week, including Asda, i-Genie, THG, unspun, Southampton FC, Boxbar Technology, Amazon Fresh, Home Bargains, and the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.
2025 RTIH Innovation Awards: finalists revealed, winners to be announced this month
We're pleased to present the finalists and shortlists for the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, sponsored by Vista Technology Support, STRATACACHE, 3D Cloud, EdTech Innovation Hub, and Retail Technology Show.
We received a record number of entries this year and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.
Congratulations to all those who made it through the initial submission process!
It’s now over to our judging panel who will decide the winners to be announced at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London.
The event will be held on Thursday, 16th October and consist of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
Book your place at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony on Thursday, 16th October here.
AI powered consumer insights specialist i-Genie bags $7.5 million in Series A funding
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.”
Discount retailer Home Bargains completes phase one of payroll overhaul project with help of Zellis
Home Bargains reports that it has wrapped a payroll transformation project. The project was completed in partnership with Zellis without disruption to pay following the sudden withdrawal, due to unforeseen circumstances, of support from Home Bargains’ previous provider.
“This was a project with no margin for error,” says Tom Morris, Senior Technology Innovation Manager at Home Bargains. “What made the difference was trust, adaptability, and a shared mindset. Payroll is critical for us and with Zellis, it wasn’t just about the technology. It was about the people. That alignment created an exceptional partnership we’re proud to build on.”
“This payroll transformation was prioritised above other major company projects. It shows just how critical payroll is to our business and how much we value getting it right for our employees,” Morris adds.
THG CTO Stewart Day talks 'wild, rewarding ride' as company veteran departs
Stewart Day has left e-commerce group THG where he spent almost 15 years, holding a number of roles, most recently CEO.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: "After 14 years, the time has come to say goodbye to THG and THG Ingenuity. It’s been an incredible journey - from starting as a developer, to stepping into an interim CTO role during the Cult Beauty acquisition, leading technology for THG Ingenuity, and most recently serving as CTO for THG."
Highlights have included helping to scale THG’s technology platform into an international player, taking brands like LOOKFANTASTIC.COM from UK roots to a global presence, and building resilience and scale to handle countless Cyber Weekends. Day also worked on the launch of 400+ global e-commerce sites and apps across the likes of beauty, nutrition, luxury, and FMCG.
He concluded: "Most importantly, I’ve had the chance to work with so many talented people past and present - whose passion, support and collaboration made all of this possible. It’s been a wild, rewarding ride and I’m hugely grateful for the opportunity. A big thank you to everyone I’ve worked with over the years - we’ve achieved so much together. Now, after taking some time out travelling in the US, I’m excited to look ahead to the next chapter."
Wiliot partners with Walmart in bid to enhance retail supply chain with ambient IoT and AI technology
Wiliot reports a collaboration with Walmart involving the US retail giant’s supply chain operations.
The pair are laying claim to the first large scale deployment of ambient IoT technology in the retail sector, with millions of Wiliot IoT Pixels being integrated throughout Walmart’s supply chain.
The aim is to dramatically enhance supply chain efficiency, inventory accuracy, and cold chain compliance.
“With Walmart, we are advancing supply chain performance at an unprecedented scale,” says Tal Tamir, CEO at Wiliot. “This nationwide deployment adds a new layer of digitisation to Walmart’s supply chain, empowering associates with real-time insights and automation that drive greater efficiency, accuracy, and responsiveness.”
“It’s a testament to the power of ambient IoT and artificial intelligence to help retailers operate smarter, move faster, and deliver stronger outcomes for their business, their associates, and their customers.”
Asda Chief Digital Officer Matt Kelleher leaves retailer after joining last year from Morrisons
Asda SVP, Chief Digital Officer Matt Kelleher has left after joining from Morrisons (where he served as Group Technology & Supply Chain Director) in July of last year.
Kelleher was a Morrisons veteran, having spent almost 12 years at the UK grocery retailer.
He led the establishment and scaling of the Morrisons.com online channel, and subsequently had responsibility for supply chain, IT and productivity as Group Chief Information Officer through the Covid-19 pandemic.
He has also worked at Best Buy Europe and Carphone Warehouse.
At Asda, he headed up the final stages of the epic Project Future initiative. The departure is said to be amicable, with Kelleher leaving to pursue new opportunities.
Current CIO Marcus Shaw and CTO Adrian Berry will now share responsibility for Asda’s IT and systems teams.
US founded fashion tech B-corp unspun adds Chris Blakeslee to board of directors
unspun has announced the appointment of Chris Blakeslee as its first independent board member.
Blakeslee, currently a Strategic Advisor and previous President and CEO at Athleta, a Gap women’s active lifestyle brand, brings nearly 15 years of apparel industry leadership.
His previous roles include President of Alo Yoga and its sister brand BELLA + CANVAS, and senior positions across operations, supply chain, sales, and sourcing sectors at alphabroder, a wholesale distributor of branded and imprintable apparel.
Blakeslee joins board members Beth Esponnette (unspun Co-founder), Walden Lam (unspun Co-Founder), Kevin Martin (unspun CEO), Milo Werner (DCVC), Shuo Yang (Lowercarbon Capital), and Duncan Turner (SOSV and Hax).
A US founded and B Corp certified company, it has developed a low waste and production solution for the apparel industry that, it is claimed, enables localised manufacturing and shortens supply chains. Its proprietary 3D weaving technology, Vega, turns yarn into garments within minutes. Brand partners include Walmart and Decathlon.
Southampton FC connects with Boxbar Technology for fast serve bar roll-out in St Mary's Stadium
As part of a push to shorten wait times and deliver a world class food and drink offering, Boxbar Tech was selected to collaborate on improvements at The St. Mary’s Stadium.
In a LInkedIn post, Boxbar Tech said: “Alongside our partners at OVG, we are over the moon to now be live with two brand new fixed bar wall installations at the stadium: two fully branded fixed bar wall installations; ten points of sale; 20 high speed automated, self-serve taps; Integrated with Global Payments PoS and payment processing.”
It added: “Ensuring thousands of Saints fans spend less time queuing and more time backing their team. Exactly how it should be. We’ve loved seeing the reaction since the start of the season and would like to extend a big shout out to OVG for bringing us into the project. Here’s to keeping the Saints On Tap all season long.”
Autonomous retail is just getting started as Amazon Fresh stores experiment gets binned in the UK
For some, the closure of Just Walk Out technology powered stores in the UK is a signal that autonomous store solutions have failed. But for Trigo’s Oliver Baggaley, it’s been the perfect reminder that success in retail depends on far more than just the tech.
In a LinkedIn post, Baggaley, who recently joined Trigo as Director of Autonomous Stores Success, having previously served as Director Global Warehouse Automation at Ahold Delhaize, said: “In just a few weeks, two things have stood out to me: the value goes far beyond a seamless checkout. Self-checkout showed us how labour savings can justify new solutions.”
“But a fully digitised store can do much more: predictive out-of-stocks, live planograms, smarter labour planning, and rich customer behaviour insights (what people consider but don’t buy, how they move through the store). These create not only efficiencies, but also new revenue opportunities for retailers and CPGs alike.”
Also, there’s no one size fits all approach. Retail isn’t monolithic. Different formats and propositions create very different conditions for autonomy.
“Smaller stores, curated assortments, and predictable customer flows are far more conducive today than hypermarkets with sprawling ranges, dense layouts, and high promotion intensity. Some models will adopt autonomy faster; others will follow in time,” said Baggaley.
“That’s what excites me about Trigo’s work: navigating these complexities with retailers to unlock value in ways that fit their unique strategies. The future of food retail won’t be defined by a single player or approach. It will come from collaboration between retailers, technology partners, and CPGs, solving challenges together while keeping the customer at the centre.”
Tesco sees AI and automation technology investment pay off as UK grocery giant's first half sales rise
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.
In releasing the results on Thursday morning, the UK grocery giant flagged up the opening of a new semi-automated fresh food distribution centre in Aylesford. It also inked an agreement to develop a new DC at DP World London Gateway, which it expects to open in 2029.
There has also been continued development of AI capability across the business, including improvements to in-house tools which find the most efficient journey for every Tesco lorry and delivery van, removing around 100,000 miles per week.
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