Panorama sets sights on Evri: check out our most read retail technology articles from last week
Check out our most clicked retail technology articles from last week, including Evri, Walgreens, Rokt, Uber Eats, Starship Technologies, Instacart, Simbe, Just Eat Takeaway.com, and the RTIH AI in Retail Awards.
Evri announces recruitment drive as BBC Panorama goes undercover at parcel delivery firm
UK parcel delivery firm, Evri Group, has announced a recruitment drive of 2,500 roles nationwide in the wake of a merger with DHL eCommerce UK, and acquisitions of Coll-8 and UK Mail.
This comes amid parcel volumes increasing 12% to 425 million in its record half year results for the 26 weeks ended 30th August 2025.
Martijn de Lange, CEO, Evri Group, says: “We continue to deliver phenomenal growth at Evri, and none more so than within our hard-working courier network, who are truly the backbone of our business.”
“At a time when many companies are reducing headcount and unemployment is growing, we’re proud to be creating thousands of opportunities and leading the way with initiatives like Evri Plus.”
Evri plans to hire the 2,500 roles across head office corporate functions, couriers, depot and hub roles, and Evri Premium roles. This follows the relaunch of its Evri Plus initiative earlier this year, which it says is backed by union and gives self-employed couriers access to benefits such as 28 days paid holiday, pension contributions, parental leave, and guaranteed national minimum wage.
BBC Panorama
BBC Panorama is going undercover inside Evri to investigate what's going on behind the scenes at the company.
A documentary, titled Evri: Where's my Parcel, will examine the pressures of working in one delivery unit, speaking to unhappy customers as well as couriers who say they struggle to make a living.
Panorama notes that Evri disputes these claims and says it provides a fast, reliable and cost-effective delivery service. It also says its couriers earn more than the national minimum wage.
The programme will be broadcast on 15th December and be made available on BBC iPlayer shortly afterwards.
RTIH AI in Retail Awards finalists announced, including Ikea, Instacart, IBM, AWS, and AutoStore
We're pleased to present the finalists and shortlists for the inaugural RTIH AI in Retail Awards, sponsored by VenHub Global, 3D Cloud, EdTech Innovation Hub, and Retail Technology Show.
Congratulations to all those who made it through the initial submission process. We received a huge number of impressive entries highlighting companies across the retail landscape who are not only recognising the potential of AI, but also making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.
It’s now over to our judging panel who will decide the winners to be announced at the RTIH AI in Retail Awards Ceremony, taking place 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, presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Lucy Porter.
To book your place at the RTIH AI in Retail Awards Ceremony, click here.
Walgreens Advertising Group expands AI powered retail media ecosystem with Rokt partnership
Walgreens Advertising Group, the retail media arm of Walgreens, has announced an expansion of its retail media ecosystem with Rokt.
The agreement enables non-endemic brands to reach millions of Walgreens consumers on Walgreens.com’s order confirmation page.
"We are committed to connecting brands with one of the most loyal and engaged consumer bases in the country,” says Abishake Subramanian, Group Vice President, Consumer Marketing, Loyalty and Walgreens Advertising Group.
“By expanding our retail media ecosystem with AI powered capabilities, we’re giving advertisers new ways to engage customers in meaningful moments while creating incremental value for Walgreens.”
Grocery retail technology firm Instacart claims first of kind integration with OpenAI’s ChatGPT
Instacart says that it is the first grocery partner to launch an app on ChatGPT and the first to offer an embedded, end-to-end shopping and Instant Checkout, all within the context of a ChatGPT conversation.
The aim here is to make it easier for people to go from meal inspiration to doorstep delivery, using Instacart’s real-time grocery network and fulfillment capabilities with the help of OpenAI frontier model capabilities.
“Instacart and ChatGPT are redefining what’s possible in AI powered shopping,” says Anirban Kundu, Chief Technology Officer at Instacart. “Built on Agentic Commerce Protocol, this experience brings intelligent, real-time support to one of the most essential parts of daily life: getting groceries to feed your family.”
“Together, we’re creating a seamless and secure way for people to turn simple conversations into real-world action, helping customers go from inspiration to a full cart delivered from the store to their door with ease.”
“With the Instacart app directly in ChatGPT, users can go from meal planning to checkout in a single, seamless conversation,” says Nick Turley, VP, Head of ChatGPT. “It’s another step toward bringing our vision to life - where AI delivers helpful suggestions and connects directly to real-world services, saving people time and effort in their everyday lives.”
The Instacart ChatGPT app experience with Instant Checkout is currently available on desktop and mobile web; the Instacart ChatGPT app is available on iOS and Android, with Instant Checkout rolling out to these native platforms in the coming weeks.
Uber Eats and Starship Technologies team up to bring robot deliveries to people of Leeds
Uber Eats and Starship Technologies are launching autonomous robot deliveries in Leeds.
A fleet of green robots will help to deliver winter warmer meals and festive essentials for locals in the Headingley, Burley and Hyde Park areas of the city in December and beyond.
“It’s brilliant to see autonomous innovation supporting one of our busiest times of year,” says Saskia de Jongh, EMEA General Manager at Uber.
“It’s so exciting that our new global partnership with Starship Technologies will first launch in Leeds, meaning we can offer local customers a fast new way to get what they need delivered - whether that’s a piping hot Pad Thai or party food essentials.”
Starship’s battery powered robots travel mainly on pavements. They have saved over 700 tonnes of CO2 entering the atmosphere in Europe so far, according to Starship, with the average delivery using as little energy as it takes to boil a kettle for a cup of tea.
“We’re incredibly excited to be one of the first restaurants in Leeds to use Starship’s innovative delivery robots with Uber Eats, yet another exciting new adventure in the twenty years we’ve been running our restaurant,” says Mark Burnard, Co-owner of Jino's Thai Cafe in Leeds.
“It’s a fantastic way to keep up with the demand for our much loved dishes, especially our classic Pad Thai and any festive specials we roll out this winter. This cutting-edge technology will help us keep delivering more fresh, hot meals to our loyal customers.”
Simbe forms client advisory board including executives from BJ’s, Schnuck Markets and ShopRite
Simbe, a specialist in retail shelf digitisation and store intelligence, has announced the formation of its inaugural client advisory board (CAB). This builds on the company’s strategic advisory board.
“The CAB reflects our belief that the best innovation comes from partnership, not only with Simbe but also with industry peers,” said Benjamin Bond, SVP Strategy & Client Success at Simbe. “This forum ensures Simbe will continue to lead the industry in maximising the value and impact for our clients.”
The board spans half a dozen sectors - from grocery and club, to farm and home improvement - and includes leaders with experience in store operations, technology, supply chain, and automation.
On demand delivery interview: Pete Chong, Global Head of Retail at Just Eat Takeaway.com
RTIH sits down with Pete Chong, Global Head of Retail at Just Eat Takeaway.com, to discuss the booming rapid delivery space in 2025 and beyond.
Footwear retailer shoezone boosts customer collection and returns options via Royal Mail tie up
shoezone has partnered with Royal Mail to expand its network of collection and return locations for online customers across the UK.
The tie up introduces thousands of new Royal Mail return points, with the aim of giving customers greater flexibility and choice when returning their online purchases.
New collection points and returns hubs include more than 24,000 locations where customers can drop off and collect parcels: 2,200 lockers; Almost 8,000 Royal Mail Shop outlets; 11,500 Post Office branches; 1,200 Royal Mail Customer Service Points; 1,400 parcel postboxes.
Customers can also drop off parcels in 3,500 solar powered postboxes, which feature a larger postbox slot suitable for parcels up to the size of a shoebox.
The addition of these locations forms part of shoezone’s investment in improving convenience and accessibility for online shoppers. It follows implementation of free next day delivery with no minimum spend, seven days a week, across its online shop.
Amazon Just Walk Out tech provides front row seat to future of retail as Fresh stores close
In September, we reported that Amazon was binning its ambitious Amazon Fresh experiment in the UK, just four years after the US online giant launched its first grocery store in London.
It is shuttering its 19 Fresh stores, with plans to convert five of these into Whole Foods Market locations.
The first one opened in the UK during 2021 in Ealing, west London, powered by Just Walk Out technology.
This is the entirely predictable result of throwing huge amounts of cash at technology to sell groceries, according to Ged Futter, Director at the retail mind, a grocery retail consultancy practice.
However, Sakshi Kuwad, Interim Operations Lead at Amazon UKI, sees things differently.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: “Seeing Amazon Fresh close has made me think back on what a bold and ambitious idea it really was. Working there showed me just how far retail innovation can go when technology, operations, and experimentation all collide.”
He added: “From computer vision to frictionless checkout to reinventing the grocery experience - it was a front row seat to the future of retail, long before most people even imagined it. Even though the stores are closing, the innovation and learning will continue to impact the industry for years .It was a unique chance to work at the intersection of operations and cutting-edge tech, helping to bring a completely new store concept to life.”
“Being part of a team that experimented, adapted, and pushed boundaries taught me a lot about operational excellence and what it takes to run an innovative retail model. Even though this chapter is closing, I’m proud to have played a role in something so forward thinking.”
Morrisons opts for slow checkouts: RTIH presents last week’s biggest technology plays at a glance
Including New Look, Revolution Beauty, Albertsons Companies, Bershka, Evri, Klarna, Weis Markets, Bolt, Domino’s Pizza, Puma, Jysk, and Snapchat.
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