London calling and Superman soaring: RTIH's pulls together its most read articles from last week
Check out the articles on our humble website that proved to be particularly popular last week, including Amazon, Asda, Rohlik Group, Carrefour, VusionGroup, Instacart, Costco, Tastewise, and Bloomreach.
DC Studios and Amazon tie up gives Prime members early access to James Gunn's Superman film
Amazon Prime members across the US are able to purchase tickets on Fandango at amazon.com/superman for exclusive early screenings of DC Studios’ Superman in select theatres on 8th July - three days before the film’s Stateside release on 11st July.
Members can also round up their movie ticket purchase to the nearest dollar and donate the balance to Boys & Girls Clubs of America.
The screenings are part of a larger Anyone Can Be Super campaign developed by Amazon Ads Brand Innovation Lab, which aims to immerse fans in Supes inspired experiences across Amazon, allowing them to discover how their simple actions can create meaningful impact. This campaign kicks off on 10th June.
Tickets go on sale Wednesday, 11th June for all available showtimes of the film when it lands in theatres on 11th July.
This Father’s Day, give the gift of our #Superman Hero Gift Set, which includes:
— Fandango (@Fandango) June 13, 2025
2 Movie Tickets to see 'Superman' in any format, 1 Superman Hat, and a Superman-themed Amazon Echo Pop! Secure yours here👇https://t.co/jqy3QKBzNH pic.twitter.com/Mj0jR7YS6f
Michelle Howchin departs UK grocery giant Asda after taking on major digital transformation challenge
Michelle Howchin has left Asda where she spent the past five years, most recently serving as E-commerce Delivery Director. Prior to that, she held the role of Senior Director Legacy Transformation at George at Asda.
Earlier this year, the UK grocery giant was granted an extension to the timescale for an £80 million IT upgrade by its former owner Walmart, after it missed a crucial deadline target. This is required to fully separate Asda’s IT system from that of Walmart. Project Future, as it is known, had been set for completion by February.
In a LinkedIn post, she said: "It's the end of my time at Asda and what a lot we crammed into almost the last six years. Starting off with leading George Technology with a fantastic team we served 800k customers, across 560 stores a week and delivered: A new end to end omni channel operating model; Completed the first exit from Walmart and migrated SAP to SAP Rise; Introduced a new forecasting solution with SAP UDF; Deployed RFID across all retail stores significantly improving stock accuracy and delivering+95% availability: Plus many upgrades keeping the estate healthy."
She added: "Then I moved on to lead Asda's digital transformation and worked with another great team delivering: A new end to end e-commerce platform for food, GM and clothing; A new identity access management solution and migration of 28 million customer records.”
“A new order management solution processing 39 million orders, across 540+ stores, integrating with Q-commerce partners; A new in-store picking solution across all stores; New internet sites, apps and security solutions; A new customer service engagement, query management and refund solution; New payment and fraud solutions; Integration to new warehouse management systems, stock inventory, PoS solutions and financial reconciliation."
She concluded: "All with the help of some great technology partners. Thank you all! One of my biggest achievements to date and largest and most complex transformations. Now that's done, like many of my other excellent colleagues it's off to pastures new to the next exciting transformation challenge."
Rohlik Group spins out Veloq AI fulfillment platform and hires former Ocado CCO Richard McKenzie as CEO
Rohlik Group, a European online grocer and tech specialist founded in 2014 in the Czech Republic, is launching Veloq, an AI driven grocery fulfillment platform that has powered its growth across five markets.
Rohlik currently delivers over 1.3 million monthly orders and generates €1.1 billion in annual revenue.
Developed and refined within its grocery operations, Veloq is now launching as an independent company, bringing the technology to grocers worldwide. Built on a proprietary software stack and robotics, Veloq unifies the entire grocery fulfillment process into a single modular platform, according to those involved.
This includes automated picking, intelligent routing, inventory forecasting and personalised customer engagement. An AI engine powers every layer of operations, including dynamic queue and labour management within fulfillment centres, supply chain forecasting and real-time last mile logistics optimisation.
Veloq has appointed Richard McKenzie, former Chief Commercial Officer at Ocado, as its CEO. He says: “The big challenge for grocers today is how they can meet evolving consumer demands for convenience while still delivering a wide range of excellent quality fresh products. Veloq represents a unique answer to that challenge.”
“Where legacy providers bolt-on tools that are inflexible or not grocery specific, we now offer an operating system that gives grocers everything they need in one box - and that adapts, learns, and evolves alongside its partners.”
“There’s real magic in the software: in how it orchestrates complex operations behind the scenes to deliver simplicity and speed to the end customer. In a market reshaped by consumer expectations for convenience, personalisation, and sustainability, Veloq’s launch marks a turning point – from fragmented software to unified, intelligent orchestration.”
Carrefour first major European grocer to adopt VusionGroup EdgeSense tech, following Walmart roll-out in US
VusionGroup has announced a partnership with Carrefour to trial what is pitched as a new generation of connected stores powered by EdgeSense technology.
Carrefour becomes the first major European grocer to adopt the tech, following its deployment by Walmart in the US. Combining AI, computer vision, smart rails and digital shelf labels, EdgeSense delivers real-time shelf monitoring, stockout detection, pricing compliance and precise product geolocation.
The partnership is currently being piloted in Carrefour’s hypermarket in Villabé, France, where approximately 70,000 electronic shelf labels, 500 cameras, and 7,000 EdgeSense rails have been installed, with a second site launching soon.
London Tech Week: Tesco and Unilver on how innovative technologies are changing supply chains
“In the food industry there is very minimal margin for error,” Kuru Subramaniam, Head of Product at Tesco told delegates. “Even if a disruption is expected, we cannot afford to stockpile.” He explained this makes any disruption to supply chains very difficult for the retailer to manage. “There is a huge opportunity for us to build something that can predict and sense disruptions.”
It’s our third and final day here at Olympia!
— London Tech Week (@LDNTechWeek) June 11, 2025
We’re in for a day full of insights focused on accelerated digital transformation and AI innovation — from tech’s biggest global enterprises through to breakthrough startups.
It’s all happening right here at #LondonTechWeek — you… pic.twitter.com/S5SLxqoxFJ
Lithuanian supermarket chain IKI teams with StrongPoint to deploy AI powered age estimation technology
IKI Lithuania, a supermarket chain owned by REWE Group, has launched AI driven age estimation technology in its stores. It worked with StrongPoint, IKI, and Yoti on the project.
In a LinkedIn post, Julius Stulpinas, SVP Products at StrongPoint Group, said: “Today (Wednesday, 11th June) I had the pleasure of participating in a press conference announcing the launch of age estimation technology in retail - a first for the Lithuanian market.”
“Together with our strategic partner IKI, we’re introducing a truly innovative, privacy first solution that allows customers to verify their age instantly and securely using AI - no ID required. This is a major step forward in combining regulatory compliance, customer convenience, and cutting-edge technology in physical retail.”
New research from Bloomreach flags how AI technology is teaching online consumers to shop like humans again
Bloomreach has released a new research report, How AI is Teaching Us To Shop Like Humans Again, which examines AI’s underlying impact on consumer shopping habits and expectations.
Comprising data from two surveys, each conducted with more than 1,000 consumers in the United States, this found the majority of respondents use some form of AI regularly, and nearly 60% have used it to help them shop online. 93% now consider conversational capabilities important.
"For so many years, we’ve been translating the context and emotion of what we were shopping for into keywords and clicks that our computers could understand. Now, conversational AI is allowing us to bring the humanity of that context and emotion back into our digital experiences,” says Raj De Datta, Co-founder and CEO, Bloomreach.
“When 97% of shoppers who have used AI shopping assistants find them helpful, and a majority say these tools help them find products faster…it's clear that shopping is changing for the better.”
Grocery technology firm Instacart powers $10 monthly delivery credit for Costco executive members
Instacart reports that, starting 30th June, Costco executive members in the US and Canada will receive a $10 monthly credit on an order of $150 or more. This can be used on same-day delivery orders on sameday.costco.com, sameday.costco.ca, or orders via Instacart.
Instacart enables delivery of Costco’s warehouse items to members’ doorsteps in as fast as an hour.
“Costco executive members expect exceptional value – and now, they can get even more delivered to their door,” says Daniel Danker, Chief Product Officer at Instacart. “Our new monthly credit makes it easier than ever for members across North America to get Costco’s warehouse items with the convenience of fast and reliable delivery through Instacart.”
The pair first partnered for same-day delivery in 2017 and later expanded the tie up to include Costco’s same-day delivery website powered by Instacart Storefront Pro in 2021.
Chips ✅ Dips ✅ Sips ✅
— Instacart (@Instacart) December 30, 2024
Serve what everyone is undoubtedly craving for your New Year’s celebration with @LAYS and all the essential celebration snacks. pic.twitter.com/OkWSehLvqu
Luisaviaroma enhances marketing precision, optimises ad spend with Twilio Segment
Luisaviaroma says that it has transformed its marketing strategy and customer engagement through Twilio Segment, achieving improvement in return on ad spend (ROAS) on Meta platforms while improving operational efficiency.
The fashion retailer faced the challenge of fragmented customer data spread across multiple touchpoints, including web, mobile, and social media. Without a unified view of customer behaviour, marketing campaigns lacked precision, driving up acquisition costs while limiting customer retention.
Additionally, manual CRM and engineering processes drained valuable resources, slowing down innovation and efficiency.
It implemented Twilio Segment’s Profile Sync and Identity Resolution features, integrating customer data across its ecosystem. This shift enabled real-time personalisation and predictive insights, ensuring more targeted marketing while freeing up resources for strategic growth.
Food and beverage intelligence platform Tastewise raises $50m in Series B funding led by TELUS Global Ventures
Tastewise, a platform for the food and beverage industry, has announced a $50 million Series B to scale its generative AI powered marketing and sales tools for global brands.
The investment was led by TELUS Global Ventures, with participation from Duo Partners, Peakbridge, Disruptive AI, and PICO, bringing Tastewise’s total funding to date to $72 million.
The firm says that it combines brand data with trillions of real-time food signals to automate marketing and sales execution across the F&B industry. From retail to foodservice, the platform integrates into daily workflows, turning data into sales materials, campaigns, and product placements on shelves and menus.
“F&B companies face a perfect storm - from margin pressure and competitive retail space to shifting consumer behaviour and global volatility,” says Alon Chen, CEO and Co-founder at Tastewise. “The ability to change course quickly is everything. Our platform doesn’t just uncover what drives consumers - it helps brands act on that insight. This investment allows us to scale globally while continuing to empower our partners to stay agile, relevant, and ahead of change.”
Continue reading…