Flagship stores and wine finder tools: these are 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 towards the 25,000 followers mark, these are the articles that are currently on their radars, including Nedap, AiFi, lululemon, Akeneo, Contentstack, Algolia, commercetools, RTS 2025, Walmart, Parseq, Marks & Spencer, and InPost.

Italian fashion brands Alcott and Gutteridge partner with Nedap for full store estate RFID roll-out

Nedap has been chosen by CAPRI GROUP to deploy iD Cloud for its brands Alcott and Gutteridge. The roll-out will encompass all stores across Italy, as well as Austria, Germany, Spain, Greece, Armenia, and UAE.

Marco Buono, COO at CAPRI GROUP, says: "RFID will enable us to achieve our strategic objectives of improving the overall customer experience at all stages of the buying process.”

“In such a competitive and volatile environment, reliable information is always crucial to meet our international growth objectives. Having the security of being accompanied by a partner with the experience and capabilities of Nedap in the fashion industry gave us full confidence that we were in the best hands to help us realise our full potential."

With the initial phase focusing on optimising in-store operations and customer experience, CAPRI GROUP plans to expand the iD Cloud implementation to loss prevention and supply chain solutions.

State Farm Arena opens Hawks Express cashierless checkout store powered by AiFi technology

AiFi reports a collaboration with Verizon and the Atlanta Hawks to power the newly added Hawks Express Cashierless Checkout store at State Farm Arena.

Located on the 100 West main concourse, and operational beginning today, this uses AiFi’s computer vision led autonomous retail solution powered by spatial intelligence. The store also taps Verizon’s 5G Edge technology.

Customers enter the store, select their food and beverage items, and exit, with purchases automatically processed through their mobile payment method.

“Our collaboration with Verizon and the Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena showcases how autonomous retail and seamless entry solutions can transform stadium environments. By leveraging cutting-edge technology with spatial intelligence, we are enabling faster, frictionless transactions that redefine convenience for fans while optimizing venue operations,” says Steve Carlin, CEO at AiFi.

As part of a larger technology initiative, State Farm Arena has also installed Delta Fly-Through Lanes powered by Verizon at Gates 1, 2, 3, and 7 and deployed Verizon Sensor Insights in the arena’s technical hub.

"State Farm Arena is always exploring new digital solutions to enhance the experience for both our fans and staff," says Kim Rometo, Chief Technology & Innovations Officer at the Atlanta Hawks & State Farm Arena. “We are excited to see how the integration of Verizon 5G Edge and AiFi’s technology at the Hawks Express store will make an impact on checkout efficiency and customer satisfaction.”

lululemon opens largest flagship store in EMEA to date as Regent Street, London location sees double

Performance apparel, footwear, and accessories brand, lululemon, is relocating its London Regent Street flagship store to a bigger space, making it the company's largest store in EMEA.

The new location is double the size of the previous one, with 8,923 sq ft of retail space. It will house lululemon’s men’s and women’s clothing and accessories for yoga, running, training, and everything in-between.

Unique features include lululemon’s biggest pant wall in Europe, its largest assortment of menswear in EMEA, and elements of its newest store design concept. There will also be a water bottle personalisation station and a staircase light feature, which changes tones depending on time of day.

“We’re so excited to open the doors to our biggest store in EMEA”, says Sarah Clark, Senior Vice President, lululemon EMEA. “Regent Street is one of the most important shopping destinations in the world, and 11 years after opening our first store in London we’re delighted to welcome our community to our newest flagship store.”

“With double the space of our previous location, our guests will be able to discover our all gender offering for yoga, run, training, casual, localised product and more, across two incredible floors showcasing our latest beautiful store design. lululemon has seen significant International growth in recent years - we have ambitions to quadruple International sales from 2021-2026 - and this London flagship store will be a must visit destination for both our local and international guests at an exciting time in our EMEA expansion.”  

MACH Alliance members Akeneo, Contentstack, Algolia, commercetools team up for Retail Technology Show 2025 exclusive

Four members of the MACH Alliance - Akeneo, Contentstack, Algolia, and commercetools - will co-exhibit exclusively at Retail Technology Show (RTS) 2025, making it the only UK trade show featuring all four of the tech providers, promoting the power of their combined solutions to enhance retailers’ composable commerce capabilities.

Taking place at its new home, ExCeL London, RTS 2025 is set to welcome 15,000 retail professionals through its doors, connecting them with 400+ technology providers across its two-day conference, events and exhibition programme (2nd and 3rd April). 

Matt Bradley, Event Director at RTS, says: “We are delighted to welcome Akeneo, Contentstack, Algolia, and commercetools to RTS 2025 - the only UK event where all four MACH partners will exhibit together. Their collaboration showcases the immense value of composable commerce in delivering exceptional product experiences and digital transformation for retailers and brands.”

Marks and Spencer launches AI powered tool to help customers find the perfect bottle of wine

M&S customers can now use its new Wine Finder tool powered by AI technology to help them select the right bottle of vino for their palate.

Available online for more than 500 stores and on Point of Sale marketing in 20 Foodhalls, this asks a few quick questions about personal preferences before offering tailored recommendations of wines ranged in the chosen store.

The retailer is trialling the tool to help customers shop a category that it says can be confusing. Research, conducted on behalf of M&S, found that nearly a quarter of shoppers spend more than ten minutes deliberating in the wine aisle.

The tool is supported by the M&S Food digital catalogue, which provides customers with live stock information across its more than 1,000 stores. Available through its app, millions of customers are using the digital catalogue to better plan their shop as M&S aims to become more of a shopping list retailer.

Customers can see what’s in stock at their local store and add items to a digital shopping list. The Wine Finder can access the catalogue to make personalised recommendations which are stocked in the relevant store for customers.

The technology is powered by Preferabli and it’s the first time it’s being integrated by a grocery retailer in the UK.

Fifth Walmart No Boundaries drop on Zepeto with real-world versions of items shoppable without leaving platform

Walmart has announced its fifth No Boundaries drop on Zepeto, featuring ten new virtual items, inspired by the Spring No Boundaries collection.

As with previous drops, the real-world versions of these items are shoppable without leaving the Korean metaverse platform. Every purchase includes a free virtual twin of the item.

In a LinkedIn post, Justin Breton, Head of Brand Marketing Innovation at Walmart, said: “If you’re going to activate on an emerging platform: Do it right, by listening to the community; Do it well, by testing, learning, and optimising; Do it often, with consistent, fresh updates.”

“That’s exactly how we’ve approached our No Boundaries activations on Zepeto. And today, we’re marking a milestone: our fifth drop, featuring ten new virtual items, all inspired by our Spring No Boundaries collection. Why are these items just tops? Because that’s what the community asked for. And we listened to them.”

He added: “To make this drop even more engaging, we’ve also added a new photobooth backdrop, giving users more ways to create and share their No Boundaries looks. We believe the future of fashion is community driven, immersive, and borderless. And we’re just getting started.”

Parseq brings in industry veteran Chris Peet to bolster company's logistics and fulfilment capabilities

UK managed service provider, Parseq, has appointed Chris Peet to lead its warehouse and fulfilment operations.

Peet, who joined Parseq from Contract Furniture Group, previously managed warehouse operations for e-commerce automation startup Selazar.

Parseq, which provides back office support to a global client base that includes manufacturers and SMEs, recently announced that it had repurposed almost 750,000 cubic feet of space at its South Yorkshire HQ to meet demand for logistics and fulfilment services from e-commerce companies. 

The company has automated large parts of its fulfilment processes to minimise clients’ costs and integrated its warehouse management system with more than 60 e-commerce platforms to automatically trigger shipping requests within seconds of receiving an order.

InPost taps QR codes as parcel lockers firm launches its first customer to customer delivery service

Parcel lockers specialist InPost is squaring up to Royal Mail with the launch of a new customer to customer product - Send.

"Our new service makes sending parcels easier than ever. No more labels, no more queues," says Neil Kuschel, CEO UK at InPost. "Putting both senders and receivers of parcels in control for the first time, Send makes standing in queues and buying labels a thing of the past."

Using the InPost app, customers can buy a QR code to post parcels from any InPost out of home point (locker or shop) and send to another OOH point or directly to an address. With no labels or printing required, parcels are fully tracked through the app.