Including Walmart Unlimited and Co-op Peckish: check out the biggest retail technology stories from February
February is done and dusted, March is up and running, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful month for the retail systems space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from February, including M&S, lululemon, Theo Paphitis, Retail Technology Show 2025, Shopify, Kanye West, Sainsbury's, Burberry, and Tesco Clubcard.
1. 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.
2. Co-op claims industry first as it launches Peckish rapid online grocery app for independent retailers
UK convenience specialist Co-op has announced the launch of a new rapid delivery grocery app, Peckish, which, in what is claimed to be a grocery retail first, offers a service to independent retailers looking to serve their customers and communities online.
Peckish will enable small, often family owned, independent grocery businesses, shops and other co-operative retail societies to provide an online grocery shopping and delivery service to their local customers.
The app overcomes barriers that independent retailers face when moving to sell online, including cost, scale and resource, allowing smaller scale bricks and mortar retailers to have a presence online and enabling more consumers to quickly and conveniently shop local and support their high street stores.
Co-op is making an initial £1 million investment for year one on Peckish, following a 30 store trial last year, and is targeting a first year sign up of over 1,000 stores, with potential to treble that by year three.
Shoppers can use Peckish to choose their shop from the range of products the individual retailer has selected to put online. Retailers select the price - enabling them to match in-store prices and can choose whether to deliver the online orders themselves, or for it to be managed through Co-op’s order management system and delivered locally through its delivery partners including Just Eat and Uber Direct in as little as under 30 minutes.
Peckish will link with a retailer’s EPoS system, saving manual tasks such as pricing and stock control and management. Retailers who sign up will also receive a range of support including data, trends and insight from Co-op’s quick commerce team, Point of Sale material, window stickers, leaflets, shelf talkers, digital and social media assets, posters and banners.
3. 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.”
4. Coles Supermarkets first retailer in APAC region to launch Instacart AI powered Caper Carts
Australian retailer Coles Supermarkets reports the roll-out of Caper Carts, Instacart’s AI powered smart trolleys, at its Richmond Traders location in Melbourne.
Caper Carts are equipped with AI, cameras, and a built-in scale, which work together to automatically recognise items as they are added to the trolley. They enable customers to bag as they shop and watch their running total. At the end of their shopping, customers can checkout directly from the trolley.
Caper Carts sync to Coles’ Flybuys rewards programme. Customers can scan their Flybuys card or Coles app to instantly access personalised offers and view in-store specials on the trolley’s digital screen.
When they shop in-store, they can later view purchased items under their ‘buy it again’ list on the Coles app and website. Equipped with gamified capabilities, they also have the chance to win discounts by spinning a digital wheel on the trolley’s screen at checkout.
Coles is the first retailer in the APAC region to launch Caper Carts, and also the first in the country to introduce AI powered trolleys.
5. Breaking the mould of grocery retail: Clive Humby reflects as Tesco Clubcard loyalty scheme turns 30
Happy birthday to Tesco Clubcard which is 30 years old this week.
Edwina Dunn and Clive Humby of dunnhumby were approached by Tesco in 1994 to help the grocery giant create a loyalty card. And the rest, as they say, is retail history.
In a LinkedIn post, Humby said: "It’s 30 years this week since we broke the mould of grocery retail. What amazes me most is that some are still playing catch up People talk a lot about AI changing the landscape, but actually it’s all about the data not the software. AI is just a new way of doing what we have always done faster and ‘maybe’ cheaper…. Though I suspect if the vendors have their way more expensively."
He added: "It isn’t rocket science. Know your customer means a better shopping experience, better products, better pricing, improved ROI on promotions and happier customers. It's good to reflect on the last 30 years."
6. Shopify powered Yeezy e-commerce website taken down after Kanye West brand sells swastika t-shirt
Kanye West's Yeezy online store was taken down this month by Shopify following the sale of swastika t-shirts.
The musician and entrepreneur reportedly splashed out $2 million on a single advert which aired during the Super Bowl at the weekend, directing people to his website where the t-shirts were being sold.
“So what’s up, guys? I spent, like, all the money for the commercial on these new teeth," he said, flashing a ridiculously white set of gnashers.
"So once again, I had to shoot it on the iPhone. Um, um, um, go to yeezy.com.” The aforementioned product, which cost $20, was not mentioned in the ad.
This came as his X account, where he had millions of followers and had been posting highly offensive antisemitic messages, was deactivated.
The rapper's final entry stated: "I'm logging out of Twitter. I appreciate [X owner] Elon [Musk] for allowing me to vent. It has been very cathartic to use the world as a sounding board. It was like an Ayahuasca trip. Love all of you who gave me your energy and attention. To we connect again [sic]. Good afternoon and goodnight."
7. Retail magnate Theo Paphitis set to headline Retail Technology Show 2025 in London this April
Serial entrepreneur and retail magnate, Theo Paphitis, has been confirmed to headline at Retail Technology Show 2025.
Debuting in its new home, ExCeL London, RTS will welcome 15,000 retail professionals on 2nd and 3rd April. Paphitis is famed both for his appearances on the BBC’s investment series Dragon’s Den as well as for reviving the fortunes of retail brands including Ryman, Stationery Box, La Senza, Contessa Lingerie and Robert Dyas.
He went on to launch his own namesake retail group, the Theo Paphitis Retail Group (TPRG), in 2015, which now encompasses Ryman Stationery, Robert Dyas, Boux Avenue and London Graphic Centre, and comprises 300 stores and 4,000 employees. Paphitis also founded Small Business Sunday, a movement and network that has grown 3,500+ SMEs and heroes the passion and energy of small businesses.
Speaking on the Spectacular Headline Stage on 3rd April, he joins Customer Whisperer, Kate Hardcastle, in a fireside chat that will delve into key strategies for growing a successful retail business, even in challenging circumstances. The session will discuss how to keep retail workforces highly engaged and key leadership strategies for long-term success.
8. Sainsbury’s Local Holburn Circus in London till free store moves back to traditional checkout solutions
Clo Moriarty, Sainsbury’s Retail and Digital Director, said at the time: “We are always looking at new ways to make shopping easy and convenient for our customers. We are excited about launching SmartShop Pick & Go, which offers contactless, checkout-free shopping to our customers and are looking forward to hearing their feedback.”
Dilip Kumar, Amazon’s Vice President of Physical Retail and Technology, added: “We’re excited to bring Just Walk Out technology to our first customer internationally with Sainsbury’s. With no tills, no checkout lanes, and no self-service scanners, we can’t wait to hear how busy Londoners enjoy the experience.”
“We’ll be with our customers and colleagues all the way over the coming months, iterating continuously based on their feedback before we decide if, how and where we make this experience more widely available.”
The experiment is over, however, with Holburn Circus being converted back into a regular store featuring traditional checkout solutions. Shoppers will now find a customer kiosk with a till and two self-checkouts. They will also be able pay using the SmartShop mobile service.
9. Charlotte Baldwin departs Costa Coffee to take on Chief Information Officer position at Burberry
Burberry has announced the appointment of Charlotte Baldwin as Chief Information Officer.
Baldwin, who will join from Costa Coffee (where she holds the role of Global Chief Digital & Information Officer) at the end of March, will be responsible for leading its global technology team. She will be part the executive committee and will report to Burberry Chief Executive Officer Joshua Schulman.
Schulman comments: “Charlotte is a highly experienced technology and digital leader with a track record of leading large scale digital transformation. I am delighted that Charlotte will be joining our leadership team and look forward to working with her to advance our technological capabilities and drive our strategy forward.”
Baldwin says: "Whilst I am sad to say goodbye to my team and colleagues at Costa, the time has come for a new chapter. I am thrilled to be joining Burberry as CIO at the end of March, helping to drive the company's strategy forward."
10. Walmart Unlimited gamified mini-series set to go live this week on Spatial immersive platform
Walmart Unlimited, a new, gamified mini-series, made its debut this month, brought to you by Walmart, Unity and Spatial in collaboration with animators and producers Martian Blueberry and game development studio PIGIAMA KASAMA.
The first episode introduces characters inspired by Walmart’s real-life suppliers, including A Dozen Cousins founder Ibraheem Basir.
It’s the US retail giant’s latest attempt to tap immersive commerce - a form of online shopping that combines VR with 3D visualisations and gamification - to connect with the next generation of consumers.
Walmart has also been testing out Roblox and this week it 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.
“Gaming is one of the biggest forms of entertainment on earth, reaching more than three billion people spanning diverse backgrounds and interests,” says Justin Breton, Director of Brand Experience and Partnerships at Walmart.
“Building on our reputation as pioneers in immersive commerce, our collaboration with Unity broadens our ability to engage with new customers by adding value to the gaming industry for both gamers and developers. The Spatial platform is the most accessible place to blend the future of immersive commerce with thrilling game play and seamless purchase points.”
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