ESG laggard Shein deals blow to London as it heads to Hong Kong: 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 Walmart Unlimited, Bloq.it, Subway EMEA, Home Bargains, Pallet, UST, Fixturr, and Walmart.

3...Walmart Unlimited, a gamified mini-series, has returned with a third and final chapter.

This made its debut earlier in the year, brought to you by Walmart, Unity and Spatial in collaboration with animators and producers Martian Blueberry and game development studio PIGIAMA KASAMA.

The first episode introduced characters inspired by Walmart’s real-life suppliers, including A Dozen Cousins founder Ibraheem Basir.

It’s the US retail giant’s latest attempt to tap immersive commerce - a form of online shopping that combines VR with 3D visualisations and gamification - to connect with the next generation of consumers.

€28 million...Portugal-based Bloq.it has closed a €28 million Series B round, with the cash being directed towards a range of initiatives, primarily accelerating team expansion and launching operations in new European markets.

Plans are also afoot to use the funds to drive M&A strategies.

Miha Jagodic, CEO at Bloq.it, which was founded in 2019, says, “Our core goal remains to change the parcel delivery status quo. We’re accelerating a new standard for delivery: one that’s efficient, low-impact, and accessible to every logistics player in Europe.” 

$66 billion...Shein is set to list on the Hong Kong stock exchange instead of London, according to reports. Valued at $66 billion, the fast fashion giant had been looking to list on the LSE but has struggled to get the go ahead from Chinese regulators for the IPO. The company, which was founded in China but is based in Singapore, is thought to be set to file draft papers with Hong Kong’s stock exchange in the coming weeks.

Susannah Streeter, Head of Money and Markets, Hargreaves Lansdown, says: ‘’Shein’s planned London listing has been mired in so much controversy, it’s not overly surprising that the fast fashion giant might be throwing in the towel and looking set to to launch in Hong Kong instead. This year the e-commerce behemoth has faced criticism from MPs investigating its supply chain. It’s also become ensnared in the tariff turmoil, losing a key shipping tax break which gives it the advantage over rivals."

"After President Trump ordered to reverse loopholes giving Shein and others exemptions for small, imported packages, the EU also indicated it would phase them out, and the UK government is undergoing a review.”

“These moves had put Shein’s valuation under pressure, with expectations the company would be forced to go for a lower target range, if it did list in London. Given that environmental, social and governance criteria are increasingly an issue for many investors, including institutions and individuals, it was also expected a lower initial offer price would have to be on the table."

"Shein is a laggard among its peers when it comes to ESG and it was facing pressure to improve transparency. Its business model raised serious concerns about the sustainability of low cost materials, the environmental impact of production, and the human rights of the labour force behind the low-price tags. 

"The barrage of criticism, which looked set to intensify leading up to a London listing, is considered to be partly why Chinese regulators were reluctant to give the IPO the green light. This will be a blow for London’s ambitions to attract bigger names to list in the capital, but given the obstacles piling up, it’s not surprising that that the company seems to be veering off in another direction in its quest to raise capital for further expansion.’’

400...Subway EMEA reports that over 400 interactive self-serve kiosks are now live across the UK, Ireland, Germany, Finland and the Netherlands.

In a LinkedIn post, it said: "These kiosks are more than just a tech upgrade, they’re part of a broader transformation in how we design restaurants, serve guests and help drive franchisee profitability."

"Together with our new Subway app and refreshed loyalty programme, kiosks are helping create an even more seamless and convenient guest experience. Guests can now quickly and easily browse the menu, customise their subs and earn Subway Rewards all in one place. This is just one of the many ways we continue to innovate and improve on our offering with both guests and franchisees in mind."

£400 million...Home Bargains, a UK-based discount retailer, has announced the official opening of its automated distribution centre.

Spanning approximately one million square feet, the new site will operate around the clock to support 300 Home Bargains stores and employ 1,000 colleagues.

Located just off Junction 8 of the M62, the site is accessible via road, public transport, and a dedicated footway/cycleway that links it to St Helens, Warrington, and the wider Omega Business Park. 

Owner TJ Morris has invested around £400 million in this development - a key step in the company’sgrowth strategy and its mission to expand the reach of Home Bargains stores across the UK.

The automation system, developed in partnership with WITRON, incorporates order picking technology. Up to 80% of stock picking is now automated. 

Construction began in April 2022, and the first store deliveries were dispatched on 5th May 2025. By the end of the ramp-up phase in August 2025, logistics capacity is projected to grow by over 57%.

TJ Morris has started work on its next DC  in Doncaster, which will be a copy of the site in St Helens, with the same automated systems. The Doncaster site is scheduled to open in 2028 and will provide capacity to deliver to a further 300+ stores.

1.5 million...Nestlé UK&I, Google Cloud, and food charities including FareShare and Zest (formerly The Wonki Collective) have unveiled what is pitched as a first of its kind AI solution designed to help identify and redistribute up to 1.5 million surplus meals to UK communities.

The initiative, part of Innovate UK’s £1.9 million BridgeAI programme, connects food manufacturers, logistics providers and charities using AI (Google Cloud’s Vertex AI and BigQuery), to cut waste, reduce emissions and drive systemic food chain change.

This solution, spearheaded by climate tech firm Sustainable Ventures, is already showing promise, according to those involved: at one Nestlé factory, early Zest tech trials cut food waste by 87% in just two weeks.

$27 million...Pallet has announced a $27 million Series B round led by General Catalyst, with continued support from Bain Capital Ventures, Activant Capital, and Bessemer Venture Partners, bringing total funding raised to $50 million.

The company has developed CoPallet, an AI workforce for logistics.

“This wasn’t a story about hype, it was a story about math,” says Pallet CEO and Founder Sushanth Raman. “Customers ran the numbers. A midsized carrier was able to reallocate 25 employees who were doing repetitive order entry, saving millions. With tariffs driving up costs across the board, the ROI was obvious and our biggest challenge became keeping up with demand.”

88...UST, a digital transformation solutions specialist, hosted its annual Zero-Waste Hackathon 2025 on 22nd May, bringing together bright young minds from across the globe to design innovative tech solutions to reduce food waste across the supply chain.

UST received 88 entries from around the world for this, including submissions from university students, professionals, innovators, and changemakers who came together to participate in this event. The top ten teams hailed from India, Spain, the US, and the UK. Of these, the top five joined the final round in person at the UST London office, while the remaining five participated virtually.

Each team discussed pressing business challenges in the hospitality sector, with a focus on buffet food waste. To address these problems, their solutions made use of AI technologies, complete with coded implementations. Numerous solutions demonstrated how technology can have a lasting impact and were highly compatible with UST's AI + ESG vision.

85%...A sweeping transformation driven by AI and automation is set to redefine the UK fulfilment industry, with Impact Express reseqrch indicating that over 85% of warehouses will be automated by 2030.

The analysis highlights a fundamental change in logistics operations spurred by labour shortages, escalating e-commerce demands, and significant cost saving incentives for businesses investing in AI technologies.

It underscores that AI adoption is already well underway. In 2023, 45% of UK fulfilment centres had implemented AI powered automation, and 55% of businesses increased their supply chain investment, prioritising AI and automation.

This trend is expected to accelerate, with over half of UK fulfilment centres projected to use AI in their operations by 2025, rising to 70% by 2027. By the end of the decade, the tech is anticipated to handle over 90% of warehouse logistics tasks globally, with warehouse automation becoming the industry standard.

58%...A new study conducted by London Research in partnership with visual commerce technology company Fixtuur reveals that while augmented reality (AR) and 3D visualisation technologies are delivering significant returns for furniture retailers, widespread implementation still lags behind growing consumer expectations. 

Research based on a survey of 100 senior decision-makers in the furniture industry in the UK and US, finds that only 58% have implemented AR technology, despite 96% reporting that 3D visualisation and AR tools have led to increased sales, and 82% are able to estimate a strong ROI from their investments.

“This research confirms what we’ve long believed at Fixtuur: the future of furniture retail isn’t about transactions, it’s about confidence, experience and personalisation,” says David Thomson, CEO at Fixtuur. “The brands pulling ahead aren’t ticking a tech box, they’re using visual commerce as a strategic lever to inspire trust, build loyalty, and accelerate sales.”

102,000...Walmart has announced the opening of its largest centralised prescription processing facility to date in Frederick, Maryland. The 102,000 square foot site is designed to fulfill up to 100,000 prescriptions a day, supporting more than 700 stores across 16 states and Washington, D.C.

The US retail giant says that, with this launch, it continues to scale its Central Fill operations to meet growing demand for faster, more convenient pharmacy services including online shopping with fast delivery of prescriptions as well as pharmacist provided clinical services including immunisations and testing and treatment for strep throat, flu and Covid.

Two more facilities are in development - one in Phoenix, Arizona, and another in Republic, Missouri - and are expected to open in 2026.