Starring Currys, Ikea, and Polytag: 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 Theo Paphitis, Waitrose & Partners, Burger King UK, PostNord TPL, Stadium, RTS 2025, WHSmith North America, Royal Mail, and Sainsbury's.
1. RTS 2025: Theo Paphitis talks Ryman’s blended approach, his love of technology, and Shein 'cop out'
“I love technology. I’m an early adopter,” said the eponymous Owner and Chairman of the Theo Paphitis Retail Group, which owns the Ryman stationer, Robert Dyas and Boux Avenue brands, at Retail Technology Show 2025 in London last week, as he shared his trenchant views on the past UK government and future of the High Street, which is likely to rely on a blended approach where tech supports the in-store offering.
As an aside Paphitis, who is well known for the Dragon’s Den TV programme and for his Small Business Sunday (#SBS) business network that supports over 4,000 SMEs, also advised attendees at RTS 2025 to play with artificial intelligence tools in order to be an early adopter themselves of this important technology. “You ignore AI at your peril,” he warned.
More immediately, Paphitis discussed how his Ryman stationary estate of stores is using technology to drive customers back in-store after a tough time during the Covid-19 pandemic, and indeed since when more and more of its customers now work from home. They no longer regularly travel into UK city centres, where his physical Ryman stores are typically located. “We went from a £10 million profit to minus -£4 million, but returned to profit last year,” he said.
2. Royal Mail takes on InPost and Amazon by installing parcel lockers at Sainsbury’s stores across UK
Royal Mail lockers are being installed outside Sainsbury's supermarkets across the UK. The first six are ready to go, and plans are afoot to grow this number quickly in the coming weeks and months.
In a LinkedIn post, Jack Clarkson, Group Strategy & Transformation Director at Royal Mail owner International Distribution Services (IDS), said: “If you live in Clapham, Desborough, Kempshott, Low Hall, Kidderminster or Chislehurst, go check them out. Thank you to the teams at Sainsbury's, and well done to the Royal Mail lockers team who are working tirelessly to drive forward our business. More partnership announcements very soon.”
The Sainsbury’s deal marks the first such agreement between Royal Mail and a UK supermarket.
Prices start from £1.55 online for a small parcel that fits through the letterbox. The lockers feature label printing. Customers need to pay for postage online and print the label by scanning a QR code at the locker or request a QR code if they are returning a purchase.
Patrick Dunne, Chief Property and Procurement Officer, Sainsbury’s, says: “We’re always looking for innovative ways to deliver the best value, quality and service for our customers. That’s why we're delighted to be partnering with Royal Mail to offer this fantastic new proposition at our stores. The lockers will be available seven days a week, giving customers an easy, convenient way to drop off and collect parcels via Royal Mail as they shop.”
Royal Mail launched its parcel locker network in December. It now has 1,500 lockers, compared with around 8,000 operated by InPost and 5,000 operated by Amazon in the UK.
3. Travel retailer WHSmith North America enlists Aptos as it upgrades retail technology stack
WHSmith North America has gone live with multiple SaaS-based solutions from Aptos to support improved inventory performance and data driven decision-making across its retail network.
As part of this initiative, WHSmith North America upgraded to the latest versions of Aptos’ Merchandising, Warehouse Management and Sales Audit solutions - and transitioned from on-premises to a cloud-based SaaS model. Additionally, it deployed Aptos Analytics to gain a comprehensive view of its enterprise wide data.
WHSmith is a travel retailer with more than 1,700 stores across 30 countries. In 2018, WHSmith acquired InMotion, the largest airport-based technology retailer in North America, and in 2019, it bought Marshall Retail Group (MRG), an American specialty retailer in the airport and casino resort marketplace. WHSmith North America, incorporating MRG and InMotion, now operates 340+ specialty retail stores located in airports and resorts across North America.
4. A challenge solved with Fulfillment by Stadium logistics solution for marketplace vendors now live
Swedish sporting goods retailer Stadium has partnered with PostNord TPL to tackle a major supply chain challenge.
In a LinkedIn post, PostNord TPL said: "Together with Stadium, we have developed a logistics solution for marketplace vendors, where TPL will handle and deliver the items to the end customer. In this way, vendors no longer need to have their own warehouses - a solution that is sustainable both economically and from an environmental perspective."
"For several years, we have had Stadium Connect, a marketplace where brands within sports and sports fashion have the opportunity to sell directly to the customer through our channels,” says Peter Carlson Hellqvist, Supply Chain Development Manager at Stadium.
“Over these years, we have received feedback from some brands that they struggle with shipping directly to the end customer and maintaining our delivery times. Through our partnership with PostNord TPL and their expertise in logistics, we have now solved this challenge.”
5. Are shoppers electric? Ikea tests out 'do it yourself delivery' solutions for urban customers
Ikea is exploring ways to enhance delivery services that cater for varying budgets, with its latest initiative involving the retailer doing one part of the process, whilst customers do another.
“Not everyone has access to a car in urban locations, and public transport isn’t always ideal for large items,” says Alastair Morgan, Global Core Services Manager at Ingka Group, the largest Ikea retailer.
“Ikea aims to serve the many, but traditional home delivery isn’t always suitable. We’re exploring DIY delivery solutions to offer more accessible, affordable, and convenient take home options. This initiative reduces dependency on delivery services, increases customer satisfaction, and aligns with our vision for a more sustainable, customer-centric retail experience.”
Ikea is testing several rentable solutions at its Utrecht store in the Netherlands, Westbahnhof Vienna in Austria, and Gallerian Stockholm in Sweden. These include a trolley for short distances by foot or bus; an electric four-wheel bike with a storage box; an electric cargo bike, and an electric trailer for walking or attaching to a bike.
6. British supermarket chain Waitrose & Partners signs on with Polytag Ecotrace Programme
Waitrose & Partners has joined Polytag’s Ecotrace Programme, which is aimed at transforming the tracking and recycling of single-use plastic packaging in the UK.
As a member, Waitrose will gain access to the Polytag dashboard – an online hub which displays live barcode level lifecycle data on plastic packaging materials as they enter the recycling stream.
The Ecotrace Programme was launched in the summer of 2024. With its partners, Polytag is deploying its invisible UV Tag detection technology in 12 Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs). These units, which are retrofitted to conveyors, detect packaging that has been ‘marked’ with Polytag’s invisible UV Tags, applied at speed using fluorescent ink.
As Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation comes into force, retailers and brands will need to take responsibility for the recycling of their packaging materials.
Alice Rackley, CEO at Polytag, says: “Waitrose joins us at a pivotal moment as we approach our goal of installing PDUs at 12 sites within the first year of our Ecotrace Programme. This is an incredible achievement that will empower FMCG brands, retailers and waste management companies by providing invaluable access to granular barcode-level data on 50% of the UK’s waste recycling stream.”
“This wouldn’t be possible without the support of partners like Waitrose, who share our vision for transforming the way plastic waste is tracked and recycled. Their participation marks a major milestone for us, and we’re incredibly proud to be working together to drive meaningful change in recycling rates and bring the industry together to revolutionise data capture and how we interact with single-use plastic. We would also love to hear from other industry leaders that are interested in joining the programme to work towards a more circular economy.”
7. Former Ocado exec and Rohlik Group CFO Vineta Bajaj added to RTIH AI in Retail Awards judging panel
We’re hugely pleased to announce the addition of Vineta Bajaj, CFO at Rohlik Group, to the RTIH AI in Retail Awards judging panel.
This January marked two years since Bajaj joined European e-grocery retailer Rohlik Group. Her appointment followed a ten-year stint at Ocado Group.
During her tenure, she helped to transition the Ocado business from a pureplay retailer to a technology business licensing grocery technology and fulfilment globally. She also raised significant capital, led strategic M&A and supported the company’s international expansion.
Bajaj has major strategic and commercial experience in retail, tech and warehouse automation environments within large public companies. She also features in the RTIH Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List.
8. Burger King UK promises free fast food as it preps new flagship restaurant on The Strand in London
Burger King UK will be opening its new flagship restaurant on London’s Strand on 14th April and will be giving away 1,000 free burgers to celebrate.
This is Burger King UK’s first opening in the capital’s city centre for years, with opening hours of 8am – 11pm every day, The former Topshop on the Strand (which closed three years ago) is being taken over by a five-storey location with room for more than 100 customers..
You will have to be quick if you want to get your hands on the free treats. The deal is first come first served on the 14th. To get in on the action, you will need to order a Whopper or Plant Based Whopper at a kiosk to get the burger free of charge.
Also, the 100th customer who orders at the restaurant on 14th April will win a year’s supply of Burger King. Limited edition Burger King UK tote bags will also be given out to mark the opening, including a leaflet with exclusive offers available on the company's app – but once again you will have to be quick as there are only 250 available.
Arlene Pallares, Operations Manager at Burger King UK, Strand, says: “It’s no secret that the Strand restaurant is one of our biggest and boldest across the whole country, and it’s an amazing feeling to finally open up in such an iconic part of the city. We really believe that this restaurant will become a go to for hungry customers, whether they work nearby or they’re just visiting for the day. Me and the team can’t wait for burger lovers to set foot in here for the first time.”
9. Retail Technology Show lays claim to highest ever attendance as over 14,000 attendees pack the aisles
Retail Technology Show took place last week at London Excel. And it was a blast.
14,116 retail professionals packed the aisles on 2nd-3rd April, the event’s highest attendance ever. There were 483 exhibitors from across the retail tech landscape, and 125 speakers on the various stages around the showfloor.
10. Currys thinks big as Ryan den Rooijen joins tech and electrical retailer as MD of AI and Monetisation
Currys has appointed Ryan den Rooijen as Managing Director of AI and Monetisation.
Rooijen has advised various organisations on how to effectively harness data, analytics, and AI, and has worked as a software engineer, data scientist, Chief Data Officer, Chief E-commerce Officer, and Chief Strategy Officer at the likes of Qodea and Chalhoub Group.
“With many enterprises still treating generative AI like an expensive autocomplete rather than a force for real transformation, Ryan’s appointment as MD of AI and Monetisation signals a real step change in our approach,” says Andy Gamble, CITO at Currys.
“Most organisations are thinking too small. AI isn’t just a productivity tool; it’s a catalyst for reinventing business models. It’s not about making processes faster - it’s about redefining them. The real breakthrough comes when AI moves beyond automation and becomes a thought partner, driving decision-making, innovation, and entirely new ways of working. Not to mention, the incredible potential of AI enabled products to unlock entirely new revenue streams for retailers.”
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