Tesco F&F online - the good, the bad, and the glitchy: our most read retail technology articles from last week
Check out the articles on this here website that caught your fancy last week, including Marks and Spencer, PoundFun, H&M Group, Centra, Carrefour Belgium, StrongPoint, THG Ingenuity, Asda, LIveRamp, and Amazon.
Marks and Spencer lacked business continuity plan amid ongoing cyber attack chaos, M&S insider claims
An M&S insider has talked to Sky News about chaotic scenes at the UK high street giant as a cyber attack continues to hit hard.
The incident has cost the retailer millions of pounds in lost sales and a lower share price. M&S has not said what or who knocked out its online ordering systems, paused deliveries and left empty shelves in stores. But it has been linked to a hacking collective known as Scattered Spider.
The insider told Sky News: “We didn't have any business continuity plan [for this], we didn't have a cyber attack plan. In general, it's lots of stress. People have not been sleeping, people have spent their weekends working, people sleeping in the office - just reactive response."
They added: "The idea is to have some services go back online bit by bit. Not do the whole shebang, but allow the people in the store and to allow people online to have services. We're kind of figuring it out as we go. We're not even allowed to use our work devices, so we're having to use our personal devices, all sorts of things.”
"It's just impossible to work because anything about the incident, we're not allowed to talk about on Teams, which is our usual way of chatting… So we have to use WhatsApp to talk to each other."
There is a "sense of paranoia and therefore not everyone knows everything, because we don't know who has been compromised. They are still trying to figure things out."
An M&S spokesperson said: "We have robust business continuity plans and processes in place for managing incidents, led by an experienced team."
Secret Shopper: F&F finally goes back online as Tesco nails the fashion but fumbles the website experience
Anyone who knows me in real life, the person behind RTIH’s Secret Shopper alias, knows I am unapologetically obsessed with F&F at Tesco.
Their clothing range has come into its own over the past year or so, quietly stepping up its game and becoming one of the most stylish high street offerings out there. And while you used to have to wade through supermarket aisles to get your hands on a blazer or linen co-ord, everything changed this week. That’s right: F&F is finally back online.
I’ve been championing this moment for ages. The clothes have that polished, Zara inspired vibe but with Tesco price points. There’s clearly been a strategic push behind this elevation, likely thanks to their 2022 Group Managing Director for Home and Clothing hire - Katja Ahola Klamkin. And while F&F was available online many moons ago, it disappeared from digital shelves and remained in-store only for years, until now.
Naturally, as your loyal retail scout, I cleared my schedule, fired up my laptop, and hit the site on day one. But while the launch was exciting, the experience wasn’t all smooth sailing. As much as I love F&F, I’m here to give you the good, the bad, and the glitchy.
The Kindr Company founder Kate Thompson takes on Head of Social and Content at online toy retailer PoundFun
UK online toy retailer PoundFun has appointed Kate Thompson as Head of Social & Content.
Thompson previously founded The Kindr Company, a specialist in alcohol free sanitiser.
"With a wealth of knowledge and experience in marketing and business, Kate joins us full time as our Head of Social & Content," says Rob Owlett, Founder at PoundFun. "This announcement has been two years in the making and I am unbelievably excited that we have managed to add Kate to the team."
"Having worked with Rob on various projects over past few years, including his invaluable help with The Kindr Company, I’m delighted to have finally joined the team at PoundFun full time. I’m excited to immerse myself into the world of toys, games, gifts, sweets and so much more coming soon," Thompson comments.
The appointment follows on from the launch of a £2 million investment round, which aims to fuel expansion, create over 200 jobs in Keighley, and position the business for a projected £60 million valuation by 2027
.The company was created to provide affordable high quality toys from trusted brands amid rising costs. Offering over 800 items at £1 or less, including ranges from LEGO, Barbie, Marvel, and Disney, PoundFun has shipped more than 143,000 orders since launching in July 2023. It has grown to £3.9 million in sales, with no outside capital and a 32.18% repeat customer rate.
Carrefour Belgium gears up to deploy StrongPoint Order Picking solution for fulfilment of e-commerce orders
Carrefour Belgium has picked StrongPoint’s Order Picking solution for in-store fulfilment. Deployment is expected to begin and be completed in 2025.
“We chose StrongPoint’s solution to fulfill our scheduled home delivery orders because their order picking system is responding very well to our needs when it comes to in-store grocery order picking. It’s purpose built for handling grocery orders with exceptional speed and accuracy,” says Jan Pollier, Carrefour Belgium Digital & E-Commerce Director.
“The solution enables us to improve efficiency, reduce operational costs, and deliver a more reliable service to our customers. StrongPoint’s deep expertise in grocery operations was clear throughout the process and gave us confidence in their ability to support our ambitions.”
“That such an esteemed and globally recognised brand has chosen StrongPoint’s Order Picking solution is a clear testament to the world class nature of our technology. Its deployment outside our core markets further demonstrates the solution’s scalability and adaptability, and highlights our ability to support leading grocery retailers no matter where they operate,” says Jacob Tveraabak, StrongPoint CEO.
THG Ingenuity's THG Fulfil deploys Autostore Pio P100 warehouse automation system in Manchester facility
THG Fulfil, a fulfilment and courier management solution from THG Ingenuity, has announced the implementation of the Pio P100, a warehouse automation system created by Autostore, in its Manchester facility.
THG Fulfil is not only implementing P100 in its Manchester facility but is also a distribution and build partner for both Pio and Autostore, allowing brands interested in implementing their own automation solutions to benefit from a live demonstration of its capabilities.
With a total throughput of 7,200 units per day, the P100 features three robots and 1,400 bins in less than 500 sq.ft (approximately three car parking spaces). It promises reliable and continuous operations with 99.7% system uptime and 99.9% pick accuracy.
Tom Killeen, COO, THG Ingenuity, says: “The impact of fulfilment on customer acquisition, retention, and profitability cannot be overstated. We have been diligently optimising Autostore and automation technology for over five years. With our proprietary technology and optimisation know-how, we are perfectly placed as distribution and build partners to sell, install and optimise Autostore and Pio systems to ensure our clients can meet their end-consumer promises.”
“We are continuously looking at how to redefine what’s possible in e-commerce fulfilment. Now, SMEs no longer have to choose between affordability and innovation; they can automate faster, operate smarter, and scale more efficiently than ever before,” adds Killeen.
Swedish retail giant H&M Group takes minority stake in fashion focused e-commerce platform Centra
Centra has announced an investment from H&M Group. The exact amount involved, which gives H&M Group a minority stake in Centra, was not disclosed in a press release, although media reports put it at SEK 50 million.
The cash will be used for research and development, as well as to scale up in Europe and the US.
Centra was founded in 2016 and operates as an e-commerce platform for fashion companies that want to sell directly to consumers. It has partnered with several H&M brands, including COS, ARKET, & Other Stories and Weekday, which all transitioned to the firm’s platform in 2024.
"We started Centra with the simple idea that there’s a better way to run a global fashion brand. Our approach is different from the rest of the market - we focus on providing fashion specific solutions that help brands scale and innovate in ways others can’t,” says Martin Jensen, CEO at Centra.
“The results we’ve seen with H&M's portfolio brands show how effective this approach is, and the investment from H&M Group is a strong vote of confidence in the value we’ve built together. We’re excited to continue driving innovation and proving that there’s a better way for fashion brands to thrive in today’s fast changing commerce landscape."
"We’ve been truly impressed by Centra’s journey so far. Their ability to combine deep industry insights with technical innovation is helping fashion brands solve real challenges in e-commerce. That’s why we’re proud to strengthen our partnership through this investment, supporting Centra’s continued growth and the next phase of their exciting journey ahead,” says Nanna Andersen, Chief of New Growth & Ventures at H&M Group.
Stylyze co-founder Lisa Perrone Cirelli joins Amazon as Principal Product Marketing Manager on fashion and fitness team
Lisa Perrone Cirelli has joined Amazon and taken on the role of Principal Product Marketing Manager.
She previously co-founded Stylyze, which was acquired by Neiman Marcus Group, leading to her serving as Director, Product, Recommendations and Personalisation at the company.
In a LinkedIn post, she said: "After an incredible journey building Stylyze, pioneering the complex challenge of outfitting at scale, I’ve had the honour of shaping transformative experiences for retailers and customers alike.”
“Alongside my partner, mentor, and friend Kristen Miller, we built technology that helped people feel more confident in what they wear and how they shop. Seeing that vision recognised through an acquisition by Neiman Marcus was truly a dream come true."
Asda taps LiveRamp data collaboration platform as grocery giant expands retail media proposition
LS Eleven Media Services has selected LiveRamp as its data collaboration partner to bring Asda Access to market.
The solution will leverage LiveRamp's platform to enable planning, audience activation, and campaign measurement powered by Asda's first-party data. This is underpinned by LiveRamp's global Data Collaboration Network and supported by an identity infrastructure, with the aim of improving brands' ability to deliver a more personalised advertising experience to Asda customers, as well as measuring the impact across upper funnel media channels.
Utilising Plan-Apps, brands have the opportunity to pick from approximately 3,000 predefined first-party audience segments or build custom audiences to suit a brief, supported by access to in-flight measurement and reporting. To further scale campaigns, brands can reach these customers across multiple offsite channels including Meta.
In addition, they can work with the Asda Creative studio team to produce bespoke creative to better engage with customers online.
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