RTS 2025 and RTIH's AI in Retail Awards: 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 Rohlik Group, Waitrose & Partners, Polytag, Ryft, Vypr, STORIS, Proftmind, Barron McCann, and A.S. Watson Group.
Buzzwords, cop outs, and new homes: ten key takeaways from an electric Retail Technology Show 2025
Retail Technology Show took place last week at London Excel. And it was really rather good.
Omnichannel thought leaders: RTIH presents its latest Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List
Here are the people who made a splash in 2024 and are set for a barnstorming 2025.
RTIH has scoured the retail technology world to find the most influential figures for this comprehensive list of people and trends that shape the industry and help drive it forward.
We’re living in unprecedented times.
In a post-Covid world, we’re witnessing a seismic change in shopping habits. Retailers are taking innovative technologies like AR, AI, machine learning, and finding ways to use them to boost business efficiency and make customer experiences more exciting and dynamic.
Which is where the RTIH Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List comes in, presented, we should stress, in no particular order.
Such disruption requires new ways of problem solving and thought leaders who can both evangelise and execute on the likes of digital transformation and omnichannel success.
We hope you enjoy reading through it and, as always, if you would like to give feedback or believe that there are some glaring omissions, please feel free to get in touch (a contact us form can be found at the end of this article).
Many thanks to 3D Cloud, which provides 3D product visualisation software trusted by top furniture and DIY retailers, for sponsoring the report.
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.
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.”
Ryft bags £5.7 million Series A to equip marketplaces and platforms with online payment solutions
Ryft, a PSD2 and FCA approved decentralised payments specialist, reports a £5.7 million Series A round to fund the development of technology that, it says, will enable acquiring banks, like Clearhaus, to compete with Stripe Connect, Adyen, and similar payment providers in the market.
The round was led by EdenBase, with participation from GPOS Investments, British Business Bank, Pembroke VCT, Sidebyside, and Ingenii VC. It was also joined by strategic angel investors, including executives at PayPal.
Ryft was founded by Sadra Hosseini and Alex Mackenzie, whose digital platform, Butlr, was acquired by OrderPay in 2021. While building Butlr, they experienced highly limited options for compliant payment solutions that support marketplace and platform transaction flows.
Ryft gives acquiring banks the technology needed to automatically split payments and process payouts at, the company claims, a much lower cost than solutions offered by Stripe Connect or Adyen. It also provides marketplaces and platforms with the ability to hold funds until specific conditions are met through a delayed payments feature, facilitated by an escrow license.
Barron McCann receives visit from Derby North MP Catherine Atkinson who praises expansion
Barron McCann has been praised for its recent expansion and investment in skills by Derby North MP Catherine Atkinson.
The company provides IT services to leading retail, hospitality and stadium companies throughout the UK and Europe. With more than 45 years’ industry experience, it last month opened an Innovation Hub showcasing the most advanced technologies transforming the sector.
Atkinson was given a tour of the business culminating in the new Innovation Hub by the company’s Managing Director, Scott Watson. Of particular interest was Barron McCann’s recent expansion into the electric vehicle (EV) charging industry. The company will leverage its field engineering expertise to support the government’s pledge for 99% charge point reliability.
Atkinson also learned about the focus on attracting local talent and its work with students from the University of Derby and schools such as Lees Brook Academy in a bid to nurture the next generation of professionals. And she was introduced to Head of IT and Quality, Jack Buxton who started his career at the firm as an apprentice.
Manchester based retail technology firm Vypr raises £5 million to support international expansion
Product intelligence platform, Vypr, has secured new funding to accelerate expansion into international markets and adjacent sectors while continuing to develop its consumer insights technology.
The raise includes £4 million from YFM Equity Partners and £1 million from other investors and management. It brings Vypr’s funding to date to £13.4 million with YFM’s total investment standing at £9.5 million.
Vypr, headquartered in Manchester, has developed a platform that helps global brands to rapidly understand changing consumer behaviour through insight, underpinned by behavioural science. This aids them in bringing new products to market or improving their current ranges. Customers include retailers like Aldi, Asda, and M&S, and food and drink brands and manufacturers including Brewdog, Kraft Heinz, and Red Bull.
Others involved in the investment round include Vypr Chairman and former CEO of UK tech plc GBG, Richard Law. Existing Vypr shareholders include veteran Manchester venture capitalist, Richard Young, and founder of UK food producer 2 Sisters Food Group, Ranjit Singh Boparan.
In the past year, Vypr has announced its expansion to provide consumer insight in international markets including Australia, the United States and major European countries. The investment will also fund new AI driven features.
RTS 2025: tech fundamental to growth and delivery of seamless, integrated experiences
Retailer leadership teams need to pivot from technology as a service only mindset to a partnerial one. Empowered technology teams can facilitate and lead companies through complex digital transformations delivering future fit platforms that will set them up for future opportunities.
So said Jacqueline Joel, Head of Customer and Digital Transformation at A.S. Watson Group, at Retail Technology Show 2025 in London last week.
In a LinkedIn post, she said: "I enjoyed having the opportunity to share my thoughts on the impact of technology on the Future of Trading at the Magnificent Stage (hosted by the wonderful Commerce Futures team)."
"Some of the ideas I shared are: The retail industry has faced a challenging few years through a difficult economic background and fast paced change in customer expectations; Customer journeys are no longer linear and predictable - our organisations needs to adapt our structures to meet the needs of the unified commerce customer."
Technology is fundamental to future growth and success in delivering these seamless, integrated experiences, Joel believes. Technology teams need to be thought leaders, curious about new tech and its application to improve business outcomes.
Joel concluded: "I loved being able to soak up the atmosphere at RTS 2025, and having the opportunity to catch up with some old faces, albeit briefly. I cannot wait until next year. Roll on RTS 2026."
W.S. Badcock Corporation veteran Bill Trimble joins STORIS as Senior VP of Strategy and Transformation
STORIS, a provider of unified commerce software solutions for home furnishings retailers, reports that Bill Trimble has joined the company as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Transformation.
“I’m honoured to join an industry leading organisation whose commitment to exceptional customer service aligns so closely with my own values,” says Trimble. “I look forward to bringing my experience to STORIS and contributing to the continued success of our clients.”
He comes onboard after a 34-year career at W.S. Badcock Corporation, where he most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. In that role, he led a team of 60 IT professionals and 110 inventory control and repair personnel, overseeing the retailer’s IT strategy and enterprise wide software and hardware roll-outs.
Under Trimble’s leadership, W.S. Badcock unified its systems with STORIS across 386 retail locations in eight US states. It closed last year as part of parent company’s Conn’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
“We are excited to welcome Bill Trimble to our team,” says Donnie Surdoval, Chief Operating Officer at STORIS. “Bill’s background in retail leadership will help strengthen our solution offering and enhance our commitment to delivering exceptional client service.”
AI powered retail technology firm Profitmind crowned the winner at RTS 2025 Innovation Awards
Profitmind has been crowned the winner of the 2025 Retail Technology Show (RTS) Innovation Awards, which champion progressive technologies powering retail transformation.
Each year, the awards selects solutions from across the RTS exhibition floor that can unlock competitive advantage and digitally transform retailers’ capabilities.
Profitmind is a SaaS solution which uses machine learning, generative AI and agentic AI to drive profitability. It was selected as the 2025 winner due to its ability to leverage AI to track competitors, analyse internal data and surface fast-impact revenue and margin growth opportunities to increase productivity, transparency and profitability.
Described by RTS Innovation Award judge and OB&Co’s Oliver Banks as “a commercially minded AI [that lives] in your pocket, crunching through complex data to prioritise business opportunities,” the solution scored highly with the judges, comprising of RTS advisory board members and industry experts and analysts, for its margin-boosting capabilities.
Matt Bradley, Event Director at Retail Technology Show, comments: “With retailers facing a raft of rising costs, already razor thin retail margins are coming under significant pressure. Profitmind puts AI to work, using game-changing insights to deliver growth hacks and pathways to profit, which retailers urgently need to survive and thrive against a backdrop of cost pressure. Up against a high calibre of competition from the rest of the shortlist, we congratulate Profitmind on being crowned the winner.”
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