Glovo turns ten and DHL eCommerce UK merges with Evri: presenting the retail technology week in numbers
Do you like numbers? Do you like retail systems news? Then this is the article for you. Including Oh Polly, DoorDash, Wing, East of England Co-op, Retail Insight, Vinted Go, Cart.com, Lori's Gift, AiFi, Cart.com, and Target.
1 billion...Evri, a UK parcel delivery company, and DHL eCommerce UK, the e-commerce logistics specialist of DHL Group, have announced a merger.
The merged business will deliver over one billion parcels and a further one billion business letters annually. As part of the transaction, DHL Group will acquire a significant minority stake in Evri.
Evri’s courier offer will see the addition of DHL eCommerce’s van delivery network and will be rebranded as Evri Premium.
Martijn de Lange, CEO at Evri, says: "We are excited that DHL eCommerce UK will merge with Evri to bring together two highly complementary UK businesses – committed to innovation and offering customers and clients the best possible service.”
“By combining Evri’s scale, innovation and DHL eCommerce’s best-in-class premium van network, we are creating the pre-eminent parcel delivery group in the UK. Over the last decade Evri has grown ten-fold in size and this transaction will further expand our access into the European and global e-commerce markets. Since Apollo managed funds came onboard as our owners, they have backed our intent to drive forward and grow to become the UK’s premier parcel delivery business.”
Pablo Ciano, CEO at DHL eCommerce, says: "DHL eCommerce and Evri both stand for top service quality, reliability, and sustainability, which makes this partnership a great fit for our customers. Together, we'll be able to offer more efficient, far reaching, and innovative solutions to keep up with the fast paced e-commerce market. By joining forces in the UK, we're creating a one stop shop for all our customers' parcel needs here and giving them better delivery options from around the world."
10...Glovo celebrates its tenth anniversary this week.
Founded in Barcelona in 2015, it has now surpassed one billion orders. Now part of the Delivery Hero group, Glovo lays claim to millions of users and a presence in 23 markets and 1,800 cities across Europe, Africa, and Central Asia, and more than 3,000 employees worldwide.
"Over the past decade, we’ve transformed what once seemed like a dream - customers having everything at their fingertips, delivered in minutes - into not only a reality but a daily habit and a basic need for millions of people. With more than one billion orders processed through our platform, we are just at the beginning of unlocking its full potential to redefine convenience and everyday living for the next decade," says Oscar Pierre, CEO and Co-founder at Glovo.
2 billion...Oh Polly celebrates its tenth birthday this week, with founder Mike Branney taking to social media to share some stats of what the pureplay fashion brand has achieved in that time.
This includes: - 6.4 million followers on Instagram;- 4.9 million followers on TikTok; Over two billion views across social in the last five years.
1...DoorDash and Wing are introducing drone delivery to Charlotte, NC for the first time.
Starting this week, eligible DoorDash customers within about four miles of The Arboretum Shopping Center in southern Charlotte can order from a selection of local and national restaurants and choose to have their items delivered by drone.
The lineup includes Curry Junction, Matcha Cafe Maiko, Joa Korean food, and Panera Bread - the city's first national partner available for drone delivery.
DoorDash and Wing first launched this service together in Australia in 2022. Since then, it has landed in the US and parts of Southwest Virginia, the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and now Charlotte. Plans are afoot to expand to additional neighbourhoods later this year.
“Autonomous delivery will help shape the future of local logistics, and we’re proud to introduce drone delivery to Charlotte for the first time with Wing,” says Harrison Shih, Head of Product at DoorDash Labs.
“What makes this launch special isn’t just the technology, it’s the experience. Whether it’s your favourite Panera sandwich, a savory snack from DashMart, or a local matcha latte on DoorDash, there’s something special about watching your order arrive by air in minutes. DoorDash and Wing aren’t just delivering faster, we’re delivering what’s next.”
1.8 million...East of England Co-op says that it is moving closer to its goal of eliminating edible food waste by 2030 by working with Retail Insight. Last year, the latter’s AI powered markdown solution helped the cooperative prevent 1.8 million meals from entering landfill.
The pair worked together to deploy an expiry date management feature. Prompted Markdowns is a part of Retail Insight’s WasteInsight solution and was rolled out to all of East of England Co-op's food stores in September 2024.
It automates the identification of products nearing expiry, alerting staff members to focus only on products where action is needed. The implementation also aligned with the retailer’s goals to simplify its reduced to clear (RTC) processes, reduce operational costs, and reduce food waste.
10,000...Vinted Go, the shipping brand of Vinted, an online consumer-to-consumer marketplace for buying, selling, and exchanging new or secondhand items, reports that it now has 10,000+ parcel lockers across France, Belgium and the Netherlands.
In a LinkedIn post, Arnoldas Kevalaitis, Network Director at Vinted Go, said: "Three years ago, we deployed the very first locker in Paris. Today, we have ±10,000 locations across France, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Our partners are already seeing the value - millions of Vinted users visiting their stores every day."
He added: "Next up: Spain and Portugal - where we’re now looking for new partners to host Vinted Go lockers. We’re going live in Spain in just a few weeks, and Portugal later this year - but we’re looking for partners starting today."
$50 million and $1.6 billion...Cart.com, a unified commerce platform and logistics network, has raised additional funding of $50 million and notched up a post-money valuation of $1.6 billion.
This includes financing from funds and accounts managed by BlackRock and Neuberger Berman, new backers such as eGateway Capital, as well as other venture capital firms, strategic investors and family offices. Since its founding, Cart.com has raised a total of $475 million.
The company intends to utilise the new capital for its global expansion push through investments in infrastructure, technology, and M&A. It will also be used to support and enhance its platform with capabilities that enable customers to drive demand and grow profitably while navigating rapid marketplace change, including global trade disruptions resulting from evolving policy decisions.
£20 million...Schroders Capital has agreed a partnership with Be.EV which will see more than 200 ultra-rapid EV charging bays installed across 22 of the former's managed retail and leisure properties in the UK.
The £20 million investment will see Be.EV fully fund the installation and maintenance of charging solutions at sites managed by five Schroders Capital real estate funds, including Schroder Real Estate Investment Trust and Schroders Capital UK Real Estate Fund.
Be.EV will install ultra-rapid Kempower chargers (up to 300kW) capable of delivering up to 325 miles of range in as little as 20 minutes on some of the UK’s most prominent retail and leisure parks, where retailers include Sainsburys, Aldi, Lidl, Costa Coffee, KFC, McDonalds, Nandos, Pizza Express, Starbucks, Marks & Spencer and Ikea.
Be.EV is majority owned by Octopus Energy Generation’s £1.5 billion Sky Fund, which has pledged £110 million of funding. The charging hubs, the majority featuring six to 12 charging bays, will be leased on a 20-year agreement with index linked market rents.
Legal agreements have been exchanged on the first three locations, with further exchanges expected imminently.
1...US retailer Lori's Gifts has introduced GO Market by Lori’s, its first ever AI powered hospital gift shop, created in partnership with AiFi.
These will open 24/7 in small hospitals where a staffed store is not financially feasible.
They range from 500 to about 700 square feet - about half the size of a staffed location - and stock everything from flowers and sundries to snacks and apparel. Half of the customers will be hospital staff, so a store open 24/7 can accommodate the night crew.
In a LinkedIn post, Lori's Gifts, which operates more than 250 stores in 34 states, said: "We are paving the way for the future of hospital retail - blending innovation and empathy to better support caregivers, patients, and guests across the country.”
“GO Market delivers a completely checkout-free shopping experience using computer vision. No lines, no registers - just grab what you need and go. With 24/7 access, the store is always open. Whether it’s a late night snack, a last minute gift, or a much needed moment of comfort, GO Market is there - on their time."
The first store is now open at Medical City Decatur in Texas, with a second coming soon to Mount Carmel Dublin in Ohio and more locations on the horizon.
71%...Consumer research released by SCAYLE reveals that 71% are uncomfortable with some of the AI tools retailers are using, and one in three are now putting prices before brand loyalty.
Key findings from the company’s survey of more than 1,500 US shoppers include:
Only 18% are not uncomfortable with certain AI driven features when shopping. Nearly one-third of consumers are uneasy with retailers’ use of facial recognition (32%), 30% with AI created product images and models, and the same number with AI powered customer service chatbots.
Shoppers are open to the tech being used for customer service and product discovery. 25% rank customer service as the biggest positive effect of AI, while 19% say product discovery will be the top area for transformation. Meanwhile, only 8% believe convenience, e.g., voice commerce or shopping assistants, will have the greatest impact on their buying experience.
Product quality trumps all else for 53% of consumers, followed by price competitiveness (38%) and good customer service (31%). When it comes to loyalty programmes, 49% of consumers want to see regular discounts, and 36% want added incentives like free shipping, or buy now, pay later options – with 35% valuing loyalty programmes that are free of costs.
It is now claiming that these lanes have reduced average transaction times across self-checkout and staffed lanes by nearly 8%.
The retailer’s net promoter score for wait times across checkout is up five points, while the NPS for interactions rose three points since Target implemented the change.
More customers are choosing its fully staffed registers, pitched as “the perfect option for anyone who has more in their carts, needs a helping hand, or just enjoys connecting with our team to help them get on their way sooner”.
It has invested in staff training alongside the express lanes to improve the overall checkout experience.
In an online post, Target said: “We’ll continue evolving to match guests with the right checkout options so they can get what they need - alongside same-day fulfillment services like Drive Up, Order Pick Up and our same-day delivery. It’s all in service to demonstrate the convenience, joy and value of the Target run.”
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