Autonomous delivery robots in Sweden: it can only be 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 systems space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from the past few days, including Starship Technologies, foodora, Temu, Google, Oroton, NewStore, Exotec, Oxford Industries, Klarna, Walmart, Co-op, Uber Eats, GO Outdoors, and Heineken.

1. Starship Technologies agrees tie up with Swedish firm foodora for fast home delivery

Starship Technologies, a specialist in autonomous delivery services, has announced a partnership with foodora, a Swedish quick commerce platform.

Starship’s fleet of fully electric delivery robots are now delivering foodora orders, starting in Stockholm. Initially, there will be a small fleet of 15 robots in the city, with more robots gradually rolling out to meet demand.

The robots will pick up orders from foodora market stores located on Högbergsgatan in Södermalm and Bangatan in Solna, with a range of up to 3km. Customers in these areas can order in the company’s app and have their items delivered within minutes.

“We see enormous potential for our autonomous delivery robots in Sweden. This collaboration with foodora makes it possible to offer fast and sustainable deliveries to Swedish consumers. We look forward to expanding and transforming how people have their food delivered,” says Ahti Heinla, Co-founder and CEO at Starship Technologies.

“We are incredibly proud to be the first in Sweden to integrate autonomous deliveries into our service. Through our collaboration with Starship Technologies we can offer our customers an even smoother, faster, and more sustainable delivery experience. This is an important part of our vision to shape the future of deliveries and create a world-class service,” says Daniel Gustafsson Raba, COO at foodora Sweden.

2. Temu tackles online shoppers' banner blindlesss as e-commerce giant deploys new technology from Google

Temu is integrating new technology from Google that enables e-commerce sites and others to dim the area around on-screen dialogues, so that shoppers don’t miss them. It says that its adoption of the technology is already helping to offset shoppers’ “banner blindness” - aka the phenomenon by which as much as 86% of internet users tend to overlook popups or dialogues, even if they’re from the site they’re engaging with.

Google reports that, using its new feature, Temu has reduced invalid screen touches by about 5%. For Temu, whose dialogues work to progress shoppers toward checkout, track products from their favourite stores and select their region, this will minimise accidental dismissals and equate to more completed purchases.

Temu has implemented the feature into its desktop experience, as well as its Android app. Part of Jetpack WindowManager 1.4, developers can choose to dim only the dialogue container or the entire task window, with the aim of creating a more seamless and cohesive interface.

3. Former Asda executive Dan Owens hits out at 'sensationalist' Telegraph coverage of epic technology transformation

Dan Owens, former Group Product Manager/Head of Product for E-commerce Fulfilment at Asda, has taken to social media to slam The Telegraph after it published an article entitled ‘Asda sacks staff behind Mohsen Issa's IT upgrade disaster’.

This focused on Asda launching a fresh round of job cuts as the grocery giant reeled from a botched £800 million IT upgrade that had been championed by Issa.

In a LinkedIn post, Owens, who now serves as Head of Digital Product - Supply Chain and Last Mile Fulfilment, said: "I've really struggled with this headline over the last few days, and my personal opinion is that it's incredibly sensationalist and unfair journalism from The Telegraph. There has been much written about Asda (the company) in recent years, and I'm not aiming to add to that discourse, I want to talk about the people."

"This week, and back in November, hundreds of people - humans: with lives, families, ambitions, feelings - left a business that they have undoubtedly given their all to. These were people who took on the challenge the business laid at their feet, many of them on secondment from other roles, to work on Europe's largest tech transformation, without any real experience of doing it.  Sounds crazy, doesn't it? But that was what we were asked to do."

He added: "I was there, I saw it: they did it brilliantly, they gave it their all, they operated with a drive and a passion to do the best by the business and it's customers, they were committed to building a platform for the future. Then, they lose their jobs and headlines like this get published. We cannot and should not forget about the human impact when we decide to talk about something. Language matters."

4. Australian brand Oroton selects NewStore to replace its legacy PoS and order management system

Australian fashion and accessories brand. Oroton, is to roll-out NewStore's Omnichannel PoS, Omnichannel OMS, and Omnichannel Manager solutions across its 30+ stores.

It says that, by replacing its outdated, on-premise systems with a cloud-based, fully mobile SaaS platform, it will modernise the in-store experience, enhance operational efficiency, and elevate its unified commerce strategy.

“Our focus has always been on delivering exceptional customer experiences, but our old systems limited our ability to create a seamless connection between our digital channels and physical stores,” says Saurabh Bhola, CIO at Oroton.

“NewStore stood out as the clear choice to close this gap - not just for its capabilities, but for how seamlessly it integrates with our existing tech stack. Its modular design also allows us to implement at our own pace while still future-proofing our business.”

5. Kende Retail Operation connects with Coca-Cola HBC Group as it lays claim to autonomous stores first in Hungary

Kende Retail Operation reports the opening of the first autonomous store in Hungary, with a second one soon to follow.

This is the result of a partnership with Coca-Cola HBC Hungary which plans to open 15 unmanned stores over the next three years, investing a total of HUF 250 million, and aims to triple its revenues from the autonomous retail offering by the end of 2026.

"The launch of the first autonomous retail store represents a unique innovation not only in Hungary but also within the Coca-Cola HBC Group, spanning 29 countries. Over the years since the Covid-19 pandemic, the domestic retail sector has undergone significant transformation," says Ágnes Kovács, General Manager at Coca-Cola HBC Hungary.

"New technologies have taken root, new shopping habits have emerged, the sector faces a notable labour shortage, and digitisation is pervasive. As a leading food and beverage company, we strive to keep up with these changes by investing in technologies that provide long-term business advantages."

When a customer enters the sales area, the cameras associate their physical appearance with a virtual shopping cart. This system links the customer, the selected product, and their personal profile created in the “Take It Easy” application exclusively developed by Kende Retail Kft. for this technology.

As customers move through the store, cameras track their movements, and built-in sensors monitor the contents of their cart. Once the customer completes their shopping, they leave the store. The system then totals their cart and initiates the payment transaction. This technology does not collect facial recognition data, it exclusively monitors movements and activities necessary for seamless shopping, fully complying with GDPR regulatory frameworks.

6. GO Outdoors announces roll-out of employee body worn cameras to 25 more stores following trial in Stoke

GO Outdoors recently conducted a trial of body worn cameras at its Stoke store to seek new ways to deter theft and ensure the safety of its store colleagues. The retailer says it will now roll out the initiative to 25 more stores.

The trial comes after GO Outdoors announced a partnership with The Retail Trust, a charity that works to care for and protect the lives of people working in retail. 

Claire Cowie, Stoke store manager, says: “Body cameras have been a game-changer. They’ve not only deterred theft but also increased confidence amongst staff that they are safe when they come to work.”

“The added layer of protection has been well received by our customers. It’s brought a new level of trust and transparency to our store. Crucially, the business has been proactive in equipping us with these tools, enabling us to react swiftly and effectively to the concerning increase in retail crime we’ve faced.”

7. Exotec agrees Oxford Industries partnership to deploy Skypod system in new multi-brand distribution centre

Warehouse robotics provider, Exotec, has been selected by Oxford Industries to automate its new distribution centre in Lyons, Georgia, USA.

Oxford Industries is a specialist in the apparel industry and owns several brands including Tommy Bahama, Lilly Pulitzer and Johnny Was.

The new 560,000+-square-foot facility is designed to process more than 20 million units a year, making it Exotec’s largest and most intricate robotic deployment to date. Its Skypod system, which will serve as the picking engine for the whole warehouse, will consist of over 450,000 storage locations and more than 450 robots.

Exotec will integrate its hardware and software with third-party machinery to offer end-to-end warehouse automation and support receiving, decanting, sorting, and packing, as well as outbound shipment. The system will also enable the company to handle returns, cutting the amount of time and labour needed to inspect, sort, and store returned items, streamlining the process of making it available for resale.

“As the largest Exotec deployment to date, the Oxford Industries project not only showcases the performance and scalability of our system, but also the sophistication of our integration capabilities.” says Romain Moulin, CEO and Co-founder at Exotec.

“Having a client like Oxford Industries select Exotec as the integrator for a project of this complexity speaks volumes about the trust they put in our ability to deliver end-to-end warehouse automation that goes beyond our standard Skypod system.”

8. Klarna lands a blow on FinTech rival Affirm as it bags exclusive buy now pay later partnership with Walmart

Klarna is set to become the exclusive provider of buy now, pay later loans for Walmart, nabbing the partnership from rival FinTech firm Affirm.

The Swedish firm, which this week publicly filed a registration statement (Form F-1) with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a proposed initial public offering (IPO) of its ordinary shares, will partner with OnePay, a consumer finance app backed by Walmart and Ribbit Capital, to offer installment loans for purchases at the retailer in the United States. OnePay is already integrated inside of Walmart’s physical and digital channels.

"This is a game changer,” says Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Co-founder and CEO, Klarna. “Millions of people in the US shop at Walmart every day - and now they can shop smarter with OnePay installment loans powered by Klarna. OnePay choosing Klarna as their exclusive installment loans partner at Walmart in the US is a huge vote of confidence as we pursue our goal of being available everywhere for everything. We look forward to helping redefine checkout at the world’s largest retailer - both online and in stores.”

The loans will cover thousands of items, including electronics, home and garden, and automotive. Once approved, people will be able to choose from a range of repayment terms, from 3 to 36 months, and have the ability to manage this in the OnePay app.

9. Co-op and Uber Eats shake hands on new three-year rapid grocery deliveries partnership renewal

Uber Eats and Co-op have announced a three-year extension of their quick commerce partnership.

The tie up, which started in 2022, has seen the number of Co-op stores where Uber Eats is available increase to more than 1,300.

The retailer will now extend its work with Uber Direct - Uber’s white label last mile delivery service. Uber Direct already offers a delivery service from Co-op’s own online shop, and will now work with Co-op on deliveries for orders placed via the convenience retailer’s newly launched app, Peckish, which is dedicated to supporting independent local grocery retailers in communities across the UK.   

Co-op will also continue to offer member price savings for Uber Eats users. Uber Eats was the first delivery platform to include these savings, with the former’s more than six million member-owners able to access them on approaching 200 products when ordering groceries and everyday essentials through Uber’s app.

Chris Conway, Co-op Quick Commerce Director, says: “Growing our quick commerce channel is a core part of our strategic approach, and I am delighted to extend and deepen our successful partnership with Uber Eats. Innovation is fundamental to our approach, whether extending reach and choice, creating value through member price savings, or, delivering the Peckish app to give independent grocery retailers a voice online.”

10. Heineken launches Global GenAI Lab in Singapore as it ramps up digital transformation push

Heineken has announced the launch of its first Global Generative AI (GenAI) Lab in Singapore.

Ronald den Elzen, Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Heineken, says: "We aim to be the world’s best connected brewer. GenAI will play an increasingly important role in understanding consumer needs, enhancing customer engagement, and improving productivity throughout the company.”

“The establishment of the Global GenAI Lab marks a significant milestone in our digital transformation journey, highlighting our strategic focus on advanced GenAI technologies as essential drivers for growth, efficiency, and innovation.”

Kenneth Choo, Managing Director, APAC, says: “We are pleased to announce our Global GenAI Lab in partnership with AI Singapore. This Lab will serve as a global centre of expertise, driving AI innovation at a local level while enhancing our operations on a global scale.”

“By taking this significant step, we are strategically positioning ourselves for a resilient and thriving future, reaffirming our commitment to Singapore and the Asia Pacific region. By harnessing Singapore’s exceptional AI ecosystem, skilled talent and supportive government policies, we are excited to drive the development of innovative solutions that will transform the beverage industry for years to come."

The Lab will lead the development of scalable GenAI solutions across critical business areas, including agentic systems that can autonomously solve complex problems, from automated marketing content creation to intelligent financial reporting and next-generation customer support and knowledge management systems.

11. Danish home furnishing retailer JYSK gears up to open new technology hub in Lisbon, Portugal

JYSK is set to open a new tech hub in Lisbon, Portugal which, it says, will provide more capacity to develop IT solutions making it easier and faster for customers to shop with it. The centre will be established alongside the retailer’s primary IT departments in Handewitt and Aarhus.

Opening during the spring of 2025, the hub will see a number of new employees helping to further develop current IT solutions and implement new ones that will ensure an even better customer experience.

At the same time, JYSK has promoted Keld Marott to Executive Vice President of IT. "Although our recruitment has never been faster, the greater ambitions in IT have led to more open IT positions. The office in Lisbon will help this," he says.

12. Former Amazon and Bain & Company executive Connie Kwok joins Glovo as VP of Quick Commerce

Glovo, a Spain-based delivery technology platform operating in Europe, Central Asia and Africa, has announced the appointment of Connie Kwok as Vice President of Quick Commerce (Q-Commerce).

Kwok will be focusing on expanding the grocery and retail categories and optimising customer and partner experience. Her goal also includes helping to build the largest marketplace in every city to give users easy access to anything in minutes.  

With over 20 years of experience in retail, consultancy and startups, her expertise covers e-commerce, digital innovation, product management, and automation. She has worked across multiple retail categories, from consumer electronics to FMCG and groceries.

Before joining Glovo, she was a Partner in the retail practice at Bain & Company, leading APAC e-commerce acceleration in Southeast Asia. She also held leadership roles at Amazon, serving as General Manager and Technical Advisor in both Europe and Asia.