Majority stakes and new CEOs: our biggest retail technology articles on LinkedIn right now
We’re big fans of LinkedIn and are busy building an amazing community of retail tech enthusiasts on the social media platform. As we power past the 30,000 followers mark, these are the articles that are currently on their radars, including Snappy Group, Vineta Bajaj, Barron McCann, Retail247, Gophr, Wickes, RETaiL AI, Varner, Sitoo, Everseen, and the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.
Snappy Group adds Holland & Barrett CFO and former Ocado Group executive Vineta Bajaj to board
Snappy Group, the company behind Snappy Shopper and Hungrrr, has appointed Vineta Bajaj, Group CFO at Holland & Barrett and former executive at Ocado Group, to its board as a Non-Executive Director.
“Convenience is being redefined,” says Bajaj. “It’s no longer just about speed. It’s about service, sustainability, and accessibility. Customers want grocery shopping that fits their lives: 24/7 ordering, loyalty, transparency and support for their local community. The next day full basket delivery had its moment, and that was yesterday.”
Bajaj will join a board that also includes Justin King, former CEO at Sainsbury’s.
“The future of q-commerce is technology that drives profitable, local growth,” she adds.
At Ocado Group, she played a key role in global expansion and capital raises totalling nearly $2 billion. At Rohlik Group she helped double revenues past $1 billion while overseeing strategic investment and transformation.
2025 RTIH Innovation Awards winners announced, including Tesco, White Stuff, and EE
VoCoVo, Everseen, Sensei, Gander, Iceland, Olio, Trust Retail, East of England Co-op, Lekkerland SE, Poq, Mamas & Papas, Varner, Sitoo, and Zebra Technologies were among the winners last month at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, sponsored by Vista Technology Support, STRATACACHE, VenHub, 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.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC in Central London and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our 2025 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended last week's gathering.
Barron McCann acquires majority stake in UK-based retail technology specialist Retail247
Technology services specialist Barron McCann has announced the acquisition of a majority stake in Retail247, a software provider that works with brands including Reiss, Crew Clothing, and Mint Velvet.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Retail247’s platforms - including the Origin product information management solution and Archean, stock and order management platform - will now line up alongside Barron McCann’s existing software suite, which features Merret Pro, a merchandise and warehouse management ERP, and Charity PoS and gift aid management software.
Scott Watson, Managing Director at Barron McCann, says: “Retail247 is a natural fit for our wider service and solutions portfolio, and this acquisition represents a key step in our expansion strategy.”
“We are continuing to enhance the overall value we deliver to our customers across the group as we continue with our mission to provide a unified approach to technology solutions.”
The deal forms part of Barron McCann’s wider growth strategy, supported by a £50 million group portfolio that includes businesses in managed IT services, helpdesk, structured cabling, digital security, charity retail software, and HR and employment law advisory.
RTIH Innovation Awards winner RETaiL AI announces go live for RaiD10 Data-Cube solution
The evolved solution is a consolidation of the company’s product offering that enables retailers to instantly deploy and adapt smart audio networks in their stores to influence and analyse consumer behaviour, deter theft and ensure adherence by customers and staff.
Key benefits include an AI engine that:
Drives promotional and brand awareness and Influences customers with hyper-targeted promotions at Point of Sale.
Provides unparalleled promotions, compliance and adherence analytics. Details real-time demographics analytics and customer flow heatmapping.
Delivers audible in-store “suspicious behaviour” alerts with near instant video evidence.
Auto completes police reports and upload evidence packs to police with multi-angle CCTV evidence including videos of theft, discarded stock, walkouts and offender exit.
Allocates adherence tasks to shifts and/or specific staff members or managers.
Tracks number of customers currently in stores/estates and triggers promotional audio when busy, or staff adherence and task alerts when quiet.
RaiD10 also allows retailers to add, remove and scale any module on-demand while enjoying best in class technical and management support at the touch of a button.
Varner deploys Sitoo PoS solution on Zebra Technologies handheld mobile devices across its stores
Scandinavian fashion retailer, Varner, reports an estate wide roll-out of Sitoo's PoS solution on Zebra Technologies' handheld mobile devices, allowing staff to serve customers anywhere in the store.
Instead of being tied to fixed tills, staff can now move freely - checking stock, completing purchases or helping with Click & Collect orders. They also have access to real-time product and customer data, including previous purchases and loyalty membership details, at their fingertips.
This has been well received by Varner’s customers, with 93% now confident about completing mobile payments anywhere in the store, while internal feedback showed rapid adoption by store staff, with 89% rating Sitoo as highly user- friendly. 68% of associates now frequently use it to check product information, while 32% use it to look up customer memberships.
Joe White departs Zebra Technologies to take on CEO role at retail AI specialist Everseen
Everseen, a specialist in Vision AI solutions for the retail industry, has announced the appointment of Joe White as Chief Executive Officer.
Greg Clark, Managing Partner of Crosspoint Capital, Vivek Mani, Managing Director of Crosspoint Capital, and Alan O’Herlihy, Founder of Everseen, will continue to serve on the company’s board and work with White as Everseen focuses on its next phase of growth.
“Joe brings deep expertise in product leadership, customer-centric innovation, and global execution to the role having led teams at Zebra, Motorola, and Symbol which deliver foundational technologies - machine vision, RFID, barcode scanning, and mobile computing - to the world’s largest businesses,” says Clark.
“Joe’s ability to drive enterprise grade innovation at scale makes him ideally suited to lead the company into its next phase of growth as we extend Everseen’s AI leadership with new agentic value propositions that will move the needle for our retail customers.”
“Joe’s leadership is the perfect complement to Everseen’s exceptional R&D and customer-first approach. Under his leadership, Everseen will continue to advance its mission to make store operations more intelligent, efficient, and maximise ROI for retailers around the world.”
Home improvement retailer Wickes connects with Gophr as same-day delivery launches in UK
Wickes has partnered with last mile delivery specialist Gophr to launch its Wickes Rapid service across 150 stores nationwide. This same-day delivery offering promises to bring DIY essentials and trade materials directly to homes and job sites in as little as two to three hours.
Customers will have access to Wickes’ full store, with same-day delivery options ranging from motorbikes (smaller items such as tools) to large vans (big ticket orders including timber and flooring).
Gophr provides two to three hour delivery slots with live GPS tracking, proof of delivery and real-time notifications. Orders can be placed seven days a week during store opening hours.
The delivery experience is also powered by Metapack, which connects Wickes’ online checkout with Gophr’s courier network. Acting as the delivery management system, Metapack automatically allocates orders and provides full visibility for both customers and store teams.
Neve Jewels Group's Graham Broomfield joins RTIH AI in Retail Awards judging panel
We're hugely pleased to announce the addition of Graham Broomfield to the judging panel for the RTIH AI in Retail Awards, sponsored by 3D Cloud and EdTech Innovation Hub.
Graham is a retail and digital leader with 25 years’ experience scaling global consumer brands.
As COO at Neve Jewels Group, he has overseen international expansion, brand transformation, and the development of high performing teams across stores, e-commerce, and operations.
His work focuses on building customer centred cultures, modern retail systems, and commercially resilient growth models. Graham also advises retail and technology businesses on strategy and leadership. He is passionate about elevating customer experience, developing people, and creating meaningful, long-term value.
Welcome onboard, Graham!
Don't delay, enter today!
The RTIH AI in Retail Awards is now open for entries. Deadline for submissions is Friday, 5th December. It’s free to enter and you can do so across multiple categories.
Check out categories and entry forms here.
As we witness a digital transformation revolution across all channels, AI tools are reshaping the omnichannel game, from personalising customer experiences to optimising inventory, uncovering insights into consumer behaviour, and enhancing the human element of retailers' businesses.
With 2025 set to be the year when AI and especially gen AI shake off the ‘heavily hyped’ tag and become embedded in retail business processes, our newly launched awards celebrate global technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world and the resulting benefits for retailers, shoppers and employees.
Our 2025 winners will be those companies who not only recognise the potential of AI, but also make it usable in everyday work - resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.
Winners will be announced at an evening event at The Barbican in Central London on Thursday, 29th January. This will kick off with a drinks reception in the stunning Conservatory, followed by a three course meal, and awards ceremony in the Garden Room.
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