Starring Aldi Nord, Sam's Club, Ikea, and Unliever: 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 Holland & Barrett, Ridelogix, Morrisons, Simbe, Debenhams, be Retail Social, Walmart, Skechers, and NCR Voyix.

1. Oliver Tackmann returns to retail sector as he takes on role of Chief Information Officer at Aldi Nord

Aldi Nord has appointed a new CIO.

According to a report by Lebensmittel Zeitung, Oliver Tackmann is returning to the retail sector in July after a stint as CIO at MSIG Insurance.

He will take on a role vacated by Sinanudin Omerhodzic last year. IT is currently the responsibility of Sascha Leutner, who has served as Aldi Nord’s Chief Operations Officer (COO) for almost eight years, in addition to his existing duties. Lebensmittel Zeitung states that he will continue to do so, with Tackmann reporting to him.

Prior to MSIG Insurance, Tackmann was Chief IT & Logistics Officer at German home improvment retailer OBI.

2. Sam's Club enters gaming world as Roblox tie up sees retailer making membership playable

Sam’s Club, a chain of membership only warehouse club retail stores in the US owned by Walmart, is looking to make waves in the gaming world, with a Roblox integration that lets players unlock real deals in three games: Cake Off; Chained (2 Obby); and Paradise RP.

In a LinkedIn post, W. Joe DeMiero, Interim Chief Marketing Officer, said: “This is​ a bold new way to connect with the next generation of members - meeting them where they are, how they play, and delivering the savings they’ll love.”

He added: “Big shoutout to Leslie Shepard (Associate Director, Brand Marketing  at Sam’s Club), Kenneth Greene (Associate Creative Director), Carolyn Getches (Producer) and our amazing partners GEEIQ, Roblox and Sawhorse Studios for helping us bring this to life. To become the best club retailer, we can’t just talk about innovation - we have to make membership playable. And today, we do.”

3. Ridelogix inventory management and e-cargo bike deliveries deal expanded to 100 Holland & Barrett London stores

Urban inventory management and logistics software company Ridelogix has expanded its partnership with Holland & Barrett to 100 stores following a pilot in London. 

Via an end-to-end platform, the retailer can now monitor stock levels in its London stores, identify when popular products are at risk of selling out, and receive recommendations on which stock to rapidly move to which store when. It can then redeploy stock from other stores or an urban distribution hub using zero-emissions e-cargo bikes.

Since May 2024, Holland & Barrett has completed over 5,700 zero-emissions deliveries through the Ridelogix platform, replenishing more than 75,000 units across its London stores. In-store availability across key product lines has improved by up to 100 basis points, translating into hundreds of additional sales opportunities each week. Switching to e-cargo bikes from diesel vans has also helped the retailer to avoid over 4.5 tonnes of CO₂e emissions to date.

John Jones, Head of Fulfilment Transformation at Holland & Barrett, comments: “Partnering with Ridelogix reinforces our commitment to delivering what our customers need, when they need it and with reduced environmental impact. he original pilot started with just ten stores and helped us restock faster and more efficiently, so we’re excited to be rolling it out across our wider London store network.”   

4. Morrisons becomes first UK retailer to deploy Simbe Tally robot as select stores trial the technology

In a UK first, Morrisons is testing out Simbe’s Tally in-store shelf scanning robot.

Thanks to Toby Pickard, Retail Futures Senior Partner at IGD, and a member of the judging panels for the RTIH AI in Retail Awards and 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, for bringing this to our attention.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: “Today, I saw a Tally robot from Simbe in a Morrisons. This is the first time Tally has been deployed in the UK.  It has only been in store for a few weeks, and there are two other stores trialling the technology.”

“The tech should help with price accuracy and stock availability, along with other benefits. It is great to see technology being tested in UK retail that can help store associates and improve the shopping experience.”

Seamus McHugh, Head of European Market Development at Simbe, commented: “Delighted to have Tally live in the UK and to be working with the innovative team at Morrisons on this project. This is a significant milestone for Simbe as we add another country and a new retailer to our growing list of deployments.”

5. Debenhams signs with be Retail Social virtual try on platform for fashion and beauty brands

be Retail Social, a virtual fitting room and try on platform for fashion, sportswear and beauty, has entered into an agreement with Debenhams.  

Debenhams will be using the platform firstly in its beauty products, before extending to cover its various fashion and clothing brands.   

Daniel Finley, CEO at Debenhams, says: “We are always looking for ways to provide a differentiated and enhanced customer experience, giving users more engaging and personalised ways to consider our range of products and make more informed purchasing decisions.”

“We were impressed with the team at be Retail Social - their knowledge of issues and missed opportunities in the sector, and how they have solved these with their platform to benefit both customers and us, our brands. It’s quite remarkable what we can now deliver through them as a partner.”

“We love innovation and think the use of moving, personalised human avatars with social influence is a real step forward in the virtual try-on space for beauty and fashion and already seeing tangible benefits.” 

6. Morrisons deploys Point of Sale solutions powered by NCR Voyix Commerce Platform

UK grocery giant Morrisons has selected NCR Voyix to provide its stores with PoS solutions powered by the NCR Voyix Commerce Platform.

It is expanding an existing partnership by rolling out this new technology at over 13,000 checkout lanes across nearly 500 stores in a five-year contract.

As part of the deal, Morrisons' refreshed software-as-a-service (SaaS) technology stack will be supported by NCR Voyix Edge, enabling it to deploy new features and software updates. This will provide it with real-time, actionable, and predictive insights.

The new software will continue to be supported by the NCR Voyix Managed Service.

"We are very pleased to have chosen NCR Voyix as our commerce solutions and services partner to help us further improve our retail technology as we seek to operate with greater agility and efficiency for the benefit of our customers now and well into the future," says Martin Dawson, Group Retail Director of Morrisons.

7. Five new influencer inspired storefronts go live on Walmart Realm immersive commerce experience

Walmart has unveiled five new virtual storefronts in its Emperia powered Walmart Realm experience, each inspired by trending social aesthetics and brought to life by rising influencers.

These are:

A modern farmhouse with a twist by @izzybecerraaa.

A vibrant, floral showroom from @homewithbao.

A minimalist, gallery space curated by @kee.illena.

A whimsical garden adventure by @madi.alexi.

A serene desert escape designed by @cartii_cartii.

Walmart has also launched Product Sets to allow customers to add curated collections of items directly to their carts with one click for a more seamless shopping experience. Customer favourite features like the Room Randomiser, Custom Influencer Content, and Thematic Mini Games remain at the heart of each influencer storefront, with the aim of making shopping both fun and inspirational.

“With Walmart Realm, we’re reimagining what digital commerce can be: immersive and unexpected. By blending cutting-edge technology with creative storytelling from influencers, we’re creating a new shopping experience that is truly resonating with today’s shoppers,” says Justin Breton, Head of Brand Marketing Innovation at Walmart.

8. Milestone for Ikea as it adds London Oxford Street to stores map with focus on accessibility and sustainability

Ikea this week opened the doors of its Oxford Street, London store.

Following an extensive renovation of the Grade II listed building at 214 Oxford Street by Ingka Investments, the investment arm of Ingka Group, Ikea will span three floors of the seven-storey location.

The opening is pitched as a milestone in the retailer's strategy to increase its presence in city centres and expand with smaller formats, increasing accessibility for customers across the UK.

Key features include:

• Curated shops – On the ground floor are three ‘Curated Shops’; shopping edits created by Londoners that reflect and celebrate the character and diversity of the city’s residents. Multiple times a year, new Londoners will be invited to curate their own product selection.

• New (and used) spaces – In a global first for Ikea, the Oxford Street store will feature a 25 m2 Live Studio with broadcasting capabilities. The space will enable Ikea to feature and host interactive experiences and exhibitions for locally relevant events. The new store will also have a Re-Shop and Re-Use section, an area to shop second life, second-hand and discontinued Ikea products.

• Delivery services – Small furniture items will be available to take home from the store immediately, with around 3,500 products ready to go. For larger items, shoppers can order from a 10,000 strong product range, to be delivered directly to their home or to one of Ikea's numerous pick-up points across the city.

9. Digimarc suports Unilever for major global deployment of 2D barcodes in consumer packaged goods industry

Digimarc is laying claim to one of the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry's largest global implementations of GS1 Digital Link enabled 2D barcodes with Unilever. 

The roll-out looks to put Unilever at the forefront of the retail industry’s preparation for Sunrise 2027, when 2D barcodes become standard at Point of Sale worldwide. It will also make the company one of the first to anticipate and adopt the European Union’s Digital Product Passport (DPP) regulation.

"We are proud to be leading the industry in pioneering how we help democratise access to product information," says Aaron Rajan, Vice President - Consumer Technology, Unilever.

"Deploying innovative solutions such as Digimarc Europe means that our unmissably superior brands not only keep pace with technological advancements but also shape the future of retail. Our multi-phased roll-out will ultimately integrate 2D barcodes across 45,000 products (SKUs), spanning iconic brands such as Dove, Vaseline, Hellmann’s and Knorr.”

10. Skechers launches AI powered retail assistant Luna at Singapore store via We Are Social tie up

Skechers has deployed Luna, an AI powered retail assistant created by We Are Social, at its new store in Punggol Coast Mall, Singapore.

Customers can converse with Luna through an interactive kiosk in-store or via Telegram, receiving real-time personalised style advice and product recommendations. Using real-time data from the conversation, Luna acts as a personal stylist, suggesting garments based on the customer’s current outfit or helping them piece together a look from the rack based on their preferences.

The month long activation celebrates Skechers’ new store opening in the heart of the Punggol Digital District.

Irene Lee, Senior General Manager, Skechers Singapore, says: “As a comfort technology brand, harnessing new and innovative solutions to connect with our customers is part of our DNA. With the opening of our new store in Punggol Digital District, it enhances customers' retail journey with a unique, social, and interactive experience with Luna."