Playing the legacy blame game: RTIH presents this week's biggest retail technology stories

It's Friday, the weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail tech space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from the past few days, including Asda, Snapchat, Dior, Scandit, TikTok Shop, Voyado, foodora, Starship Technologies, Wing, and Walmart.

1. Asda puts blame on epic Project Future retail technology separation initiative as sales drop

Asda shared a Q3 2025 trading update on Friday, reporting total revenues (excluding fuel) of £5.1 billion and a 2.8% decline in like-for-like sales.  

The UK grocery giant completed Project Future - one of Europe’s largest retail tech separations - which involved moving off more than 2,500 legacy Walmart systems and switching every part of Asda’s operations onto its own IT platforms. 

The changeover was complex and severely disrupted depot and store operations and the online shopping experience for customers, it admitted in its update.

Allan Leighton, Executive Chairman, said: “We said it would take three to five years to turn Asda around. We made good progress in the first half of the year against our ‘Formula for Growth’ with the best availability in eight years, a notable price gap versus competitors and a return to like-for-like growth."

“At Q2 results, we said that the cutover from Project Future, although completed, would likely have a negative impact on our performance. This change severely disrupted our systems and materially impacted our progress, as we saw a step back to inconsistent availability, operational issues at depot and in-store and a poor customer experience online and through the app that impacted our grocery home shopping business in particular.” 

“Since then, we have made good progress stabilising our platforms and the worst of the disruption is now behind us. Availability is back to where it was in June, operational issues are reducing and performance in recent weeks is improving, but we do not expect to re-establish our Q2 2025 position until Q2 of 2026. Thank you to all our colleagues for their hard work and commitment and our customers for their patience."   

2. Focus on immersive stories as Puma opens flagship European store on London's Oxford Street

Puma has opened the doors to its largest ever European flagship store, situated on Oxford Street in London.

Focusing on immersive story telling, the store, located close to Selfridges and Bond Street Tube Station, spans 24,000 square feet and features Puma’s running technology NITRO, its football boots FUTURE, ULTRA and KING, as well as its current range of lifestyle products. 

“The opening of our Oxford Street flagship is an exciting moment for us,” says Arthur Hoeld, CEO at Puma. “It’s our first flagship store in Europe, which gives us the chance to connect with more people than ever before - right in the heart of one of the world’s most iconic shopping destinations.”

“It is a powerful platform to engage directly with consumers, showcase our latest performance innovations, and strengthen our brand presence in one of the world’s most influential retail destinations. This space not only highlights our product excellence, but also celebrates our heritage and long-standing connection with elite athletes.”

3. AI technology powered workforce Duvo raises $15 million in Index Ventures led seed funding round

Duvo, an automation platform that gives retail teams an AI workforce for their day-to-day operations, has raised $15 million in seed funding led by Index Ventures, backers of Figma, Revolut and Wiz.

Credo Ventures, Northzone and Puzzle Ventures also participated in the round, along with angels Roy Reznik (co-founder of Wiz), David Singleton (former CTO of Stripe) and Kieran Flanagan (former CMO Zapier).

Co-founded by retail industry veterans, including Tomas Čupr, founder of the European grocery unicorn Rohlik, Duvo can go live in weeks rather than years and works across the tools retailers already use. Business users describe what they want to achieve in natural language, and Duvo’s AI agents execute it end-to-end across systems such as SAP, portals, email, spreadsheets, and modern APIs, with no coding required.

“At Rohlik we saw teams spending hours every day copy-pasting between SAP, supplier portals, email and spreadsheets just to close the books or launch promotions,” says Čupr. “Across the industry, millions of hours of bottom-up, exception-heavy work remain untouched because traditional IT automation takes years and cannot handle the messy reality of retail systems.”

“Duvo is democratising automation: giving every retail team an AI workforce they can deploy in weeks, not years, to finally eliminate the operational bottlenecks holding them back. With this funding, we’re accelerating our product roadmap and bringing assistants to more enterprises worldwide – helping retailers eliminate errors, reclaim time and gain a decisive advantage over competitors still relying on manual processes.”

4. Snapchat Winter Village teams with Chopard, Lancôme and BOSS for AR powered festive experience

Snapchat has launched Winter Village, a festive AR retail experience in partnership with Chopard, Lancôme and BOSS.

Throughout December, Snapchatters can explore the village's boutiques and discover new products, just as they would in real-life, before shopping one of the brand’s e-commerce sites.

Chopard invites visitors into a digital reinterpretation of its boutique. Snapchatters can browse displays showcasing the Maison’s watches and jewellery, with each piece revealing its story and craftsmanship through an interactive product card.

Lancôme takes people on a poetic journey through beauty and light. Inspired by the Lancôme Express and its signature soft pink aesthetic.

This AR experience reimagines the luxury perfume store as a glowing train carriage floating above snowy mountains. Inside, visitors wander through a pink and gold interior where each fragrance icon is presented like a precious treasure. Selecting a product reveals the story and inspiration behind each creation.

BOSS, meanwhile, is unveiling its Augmented Factory, a festive space with copper toned walls and wooden crates, animated by a central conveyor belt highlighting the latest BOSS x Steiff collection, an exclusive collaboration where BOSS’ signature elevated aesthetic meets the timeless charm of Steiff’s beloved teddy bears with the trademark ‘Button in Ear’.

5. Dior looks to innovate in supply chain logistics space with Scandit and Hardis WMS tie up

Scandit and Hardis Supply Chain have partnered with Dior to boost its warehouse operations including optimisation of its workflows with the addition of real-time insights.  

Scandit’s MatrixScan Count embedded into Hardis WMS (formerly Reflex WMS)  warehouse management software (WMS) enables logistic chain reliability between warehouses and stores, which has reduced shipping control time by 85%.

With MatrixScan Count, warehouse teams now capture multiple barcodes simultaneously through Dior’s Order Preparation app. The data captured is verified in Hardis WMS and instant feedback appears on‑screen via augmented reality (AR), guiding warehouse operators with intuitive user interface gestures. 

In addition, MatrixScan Find is deployed during the order preparation process in the warehouse and in-store price updates to easily locate the correct item via an AR overlay. Currently a manual process, this will increase workflow speed and accuracy for store associates.   

With Scandit and Hardis WMS deployed on handheld computers, workers are able to automate a variety of other warehouse workflows including receiving on their existing devices. Damaged, poorly printed and even partially visible barcodes can be read which increases user productivity and streamlines day-to-day tasks thanks to Scandit’s AI powered advanced barcode scanning.  

6. TikTok Shop breaks Black Friday records as M&S, Saumsung, Clarks and Sainsbury's go live

TikTok Shop has notched up its biggest sales day in its UK history, with Black Friday 2025 surpassing last year’s performance by 50% across the full Black Friday/Cyber Monday period.

Last Friday, 27 items were selling every second. 

Shoppers started shopping earlier than ever with "Fake Friday" - the week before Black Friday itself, reaching the same sales as the platform's previous record sales day, Black Friday 2024. Searches on the platform for 'TikTok Shop Black Friday' increased 404% over the weekend and was the most popular search related to the event in 2025.

The number of people shopping on the platform increased by 28% compared with the same period as last year, as more Brits turned to TikTok Shop to discover Black Friday deals and new ways to buy online. 

UK brands and sellers of all sizes drove this growth, with an 85% increase in total sellers generating sales during this period. Live Shopping also saw record breaking engagement, with a 68% increase in sales and thousands of brands and creators driving real-time shopping moments throughout the week.

7. foodora makes history in Czech Republic with Starship robot deliveries pilot including McDonald's

foodora, an online food delivery brand owned by Delivery Hero, has notched up a first in Czechia with Starship Technologies.

The pair have started testing robot delivery in the streets of District 8 of Prague, with McDonald’s onboard as a partner.

In a LinkedIn post, foodora said: “Backed by Starship’s global expertise and the support of local municipalities, we are proving how modern tech can shape the future and make daily life better for the communities.”

It added: “This pilot project is a major milestone for the country, allowing us to explore how autonomous tech handles real-world scenarios, specifically testing hot food delivery in collaboration with McDonald's Czech Republic.”

8. Ocado Ads enlists Epsilon for launch of new retail media solution powered by COREid platform

Ocado Ads, the retail media network for Ocado Retail, has partnered with Epsilon, to develop a solution powered by COREid, the latter’s identity resolution platform.

“This partnership reinforces our commitment to putting real control in the hands of advertisers,” says Ben O’Mahoney, AdTech & Data Partnerships Lead at Ocado Ads. “By bringing digital media, data and retail execution together, we’re making it easier for more brands to participate - and more likely for shoppers to connect with the brands that matter to them.”

Collaborating with the Epsilon Retail Media platform enables brands to extend their reach beyond Ocado’s properties, activating across the open web, connected TV and audio. Whether it’s Netflix, Disney+ or Spotify, brands can connect with verified audiences wherever they are, while maintaining consistent, personalised messaging.

9. Milestone as Wing and Walmart launch rapid delivery via drones service across Metro Atlanta

Wing and Walmart are launching on demand drone delivery in Metro Atlanta in the USA.

Beginning 3rd December, the service will be available from six Walmart stores across Metro Atlanta.

Products eligible for drone delivery include grocery items, last minute gifts, household goods and over the counter medicine.

“Atlanta is a powerhouse in aviation, and we’re bringing the same spirit of speed and efficiency to thousands of Walmart customers across the Metro just in time for the busiest season of the year,” says Heather Rivera, Chief Business Officer at Wing.

“This launch is a critical next step in our significant expansion, turning drone delivery from novelty to norm as residents make drone delivery part of their everyday shopping.”

10. Voyado boosts advisory board with additions of Graham Broomfield and Martijn van der Zee

Customer experience platform Voyado reports that Graham Broomfield and Martijn van der Zee have joined its advisory board.

Broomfield has over 20 years of experience driving growth and transformation across the retail and consumer sectors. As COO at Neve Jewels Group, he leads the global expansion of a multi-brand jewellery portfolio, overseeing strategy across brand development, international markets, and digital innovation.

His career includes leadership roles at eBay, L.K.Bennett, and Crew Clothing, where he helped shape digital operations and customer experience strategies.

As Chief Digital Officer at Rituals, van der Zeeis led digital innovation, e-commerce, and customer experience across more than 20 markets, building award winning CRM and customer service operations and driving profitable omnichannel growth.

He has also held senior roles at Suit Supply and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, heading up e-commerce and marketing strategies. He serves on several advisory and supervisory boards.