H&M progress stalls amid tense geopolitical climate: the retail technology week in numbers

Do you like numbers? Do you like retail systems news? Then this is the article for you. Including Alibaba, Just Eat, Co-op, Avery Dennison, Wolt, Amazon, Lincolnshire Co-op, and the RTIH AI in Retail Awards.

1,000...Over 1,000 retailers are now connected to the Foodhub marketplace via UK quick commerce platform Snappy Shopper, with more opting in every week.

Following a pilot, Snappy Shopper has scaled up its roll-out, with coverage expanding across the UK. It says early adopters in retail are seeing strong initial success, with an uplift of 10% in weekly GMV derived from the Foodhub platform - processed through its system, integrations, reporting and terminals.

Charlie, of Premier Carrick, says: “Customers today expect the convenience of ordering everything online, including groceries and takeaways, the two go hand in hand. Being a part of a platform like Foodhub opens up new opportunities for our store to reach a wider audience beyond our physical location.”

“From my perspective, it's been completely seamless. Orders from different platforms all come through the same device so there’s no extra work. Most importantly for us, no separate cashing up. It’s a huge help for our drivers, who receive the full delivery fee with a smooth and reliable payment process. The whole setup just works brilliantly.”

SEK112 billion...H&M’s sales declined in the second quarter of its FY2024/25, falling 4.8%, dragging down its H1 sales which decreased 1.1% to SEK112 billion.

This performance mirrors the slowdown experienced by competitor Inditex, albeit more severe, as its sales grew a timid 1.5% in the quarter to the end of April, indicating an overall reluctance from shoppers to spend amid the tense geopolitical climate.

However, H&M’s slowdown in reported currency was made worse by a strengthened Swedish Krona, as its sales in local currencies grew 1%. These currency issues combined with higher freight costs and markdowns led the group’s operating margin to drop 1.7ppts to 6.4%.

"Southern Europe continued to outperform in H1, with sales rising 7% in local currencies, as its more trend led, summery ranges were well-adapted to the region’s favourable climate, while Western Europe’s sales rose a timid 1%," says Louise Deglise-Favre, Senior Apparel Analyst at GlobalData.

"In contrast, sales in the Nordics fell 3%, as the group needs to make extra efforts to excite consumers in its well-established home region. Sales in Eastern Europe fell 2%, hindered by low consumer sentiment amid the lasting conflict in Ukraine and lingering high inflation rates. Outside of Europe, sales rose 2% in North and South America, while sales fell 1% in Asia, Oceania and Africa, due to significant store closures as the group continues to crack down on low profitability stores."

“The group’s portfolio brands reported sales fell 2% and increased 3% in local currency, returning to a timid outperformance within the group, thanks in part to the strength of its premium brands COS and & Other Stories. In April, Jonathan Saunders was appointed Chief Creative Officer for & Other Stories, lending further credibility to the brand as an elevated player thanks to Saunders’ prestigious experience within the fashion industry."

"The brand also released a collaboration with designer brand ROKSANDA, further boosting its fashion credentials. In late May, Weekday launched its new multi-brand platform, integrating Cheap Monday and Monki’s offerings into its website. The former was relaunched in September 2024 following a six-year hiatus, while the latter started shuttering all stores in December 2024 due to a lack of profitability. The multi-brand Weekday offering will also be extended to selected stores throughout 2025, with the first one in Stockholm already open.”

3...There are now just three weeks left to enter the RTIH AI in Retail Awards, with deadline for submissions being Friday, 18th July.

As we witness a digital transformation revolution across all channels, AI tools are reshaping the omnichannel game, from personalising customer experiences to optimising inventory, uncovering insights into consumer behaviour, and enhancing the human element of retailers' businesses.

With 2025 set to be the year when AI and especially gen AI shake off the ‘heavily hyped’ tag and become embedded in retail business processes, our newly launched awards celebrate global technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world and the resulting benefits for retailers, shoppers and employees.

Our 2025 winners will be those companies who not only recognise the potential of AI, but also make it usable in everyday work - resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.

Winners will be announced at an evening event at The Barbican in Central London on Wednesday, 3rd September.

This will kick off with a drinks reception in the stunning Conservatory, followed by a three course meal, and awards ceremony in the Garden Room hosted by the rather excellent actress, writer, presenter, and comedian Lucy Porter.

Time is running out to enter the RTIH AI in Retail Awards. Deadline for submissions is Friday, 18th July. Our 2025 winners will be announced at an evening event at @BarbicanCentre in Central London on Wednesday, 3rd September #ai https://t.co/YnOwZgTVOc pic.twitter.com/CnEx2ZKQHb

— Retail Technology Innovation Hub (@RTIH_RetailTech) June 23, 2025

£750,000...Chinese e-commerce giant, Alibaba, has announced the launch of CoCreate Pitch - a new product competition where UK and European SMEs can compete for a prize pool worth nearly £750,000.

It is also bringing its flagship event CoCreate to London later this year, creating a dual annual offering hosted in London and Las Vegas for the first time.

Since 2023, the SME focused trade event has been hosted in Las Vegas, bringing together more than 2,000 North American SMEs under one roof. The first ever CoCreate event in Europe will take place in London on 14th November.

CoCreate Pitch will see SMEs pitch innovative products. Two Grand Champions (Las Vegas and London) will each receive approximately £150,000. 20 global winners will be awarded up to £30,000. All participants will receive complimentary access to Alibaba’s AI powered sourcing tools and supplier network.

15...Just Eat has announced the full UK launch of its delivery-as-a-service platform, JET Go.

This enables partner brands to receive customer orders through their own channels while tapping into Just Eat’s technology infrastructure and network of independent couriers to offer on-demand, same-day and scheduled deliveries.

As the official launch partner, Co-op has rolled out the service across hundreds of stores. Customers within a five-mile radius can shop through its online shop or the Just Eat app. People can purchase everything from a full shop to forgotten or top-up ingredients for a midweek meal, or treats for evenings at home.

Delivery-as-a-service is also live on Just Eat’s platforms in 15 countries including Canada, Australia, Bulgaria and Spain and more big UK brands are set to come online across in the coming months. 

44% and 43%...When it comes to online delivery, consumers no longer tolerate uncertainty, according to new research from Avery Dennison.

Four in ten consumers now demand non-food home deliveries to arrive within a specific time slot - typically a two to three-hour window. This expectation climbs higher in key markets, reaching 44% in the UK and 43% in the US.

The findings signal a clear power shift towards consumers seeking unprecedented control and transparency in their online shopping experience, forcing retailers and parcel carriers to adapt or risk falling behind.

The research, surveyed 5,000 consumers across the US, UK, France, and Germany. Although consumers today are more sensitive to cost than ever, six in ten are willing to pay a premium for more detailed insight into order tracking.

When asked what would justify payment for a premium delivery service (and invited to select ‘all that apply’), 47% stated faster delivery, making this the top overall choice, followed by 31% who said ‘accurate estimated delivery times.’

The survey also reveals that tracking expectations vary depending on the type of purchase. For example, 60% of respondents say parcel tracking is ‘very important’ when ordering electronics, 43% for fashion, and 38% for health and beauty.

€5 billion...Finnish food and merchandise on-demand delivery platform Wolt has released a Local Commerce Report, which explores how digital platforms are supporting local businesses across Europe and draws on survey data from over 7,000 respondents in more than 20 markets, as well as global Wolt data.

Key highlights:

• Over €5 billion in merchant sales generated via Wolt in 2024

• 83% of merchants surveyed said platforms are important to their business

• 80% said their in-store sales were stable or grew with delivery platforms

• Nearly one-third would have no online store without them

1.8 million...By using Retail Insights’ WasteInsight solution, Lincolnshire Co-op says that it has avoided nearly 1.8 million tonnes of food waste, a rise of +6.8% compared to 2023.

In 2024, Lincolnshire Co-op implemented an enhanced version of Waste Trim.

This analyses historical data, sales patterns and expiration dates to highlight and identify products or ranges that are regularly wasted. These insights enable Lincolnshire Co-op to optimise stock assortment, minimise overstocking on frequently wasted items, meaning less produce is entering the reduced to clear (RTC) process in the first place.

$20 million...Synthflow AI, a voice AI platform for automated phone calls, has announced a $20 million Series A investment round led by Accel, with participation from existing investors Atlantic Labs and Singular.

This follows the company’s seed round last year, bringing the total funding to $30 million. The new capital will support global expansion, including the opening of a new office in the US, and accelerate development of its voice AI agent platform.

Founded in 2023 by serial entrepreneurs Albert Astabatsyan, Hakob Astabatsyan, and Sassun Mirzakhan-Saky, Synthflow AI aims to democratise access to advanced voice AI with a no-code platform that, according to those involved, lets enterprises create, deploy and scale natural sounding, cost-effective voice agents tailored to their business needs.

77%...Businesses are demanding more cost-effective and secure payment methods that do away with the “unfair” chargeback model, according to a new report by Open Banking infrastructure provider, Yapily.

The research, carried out by YouGov and which surveyed more than 2,000 UK consumers and 250 merchants, shows that 77% of merchants say transaction fees are a big concern when choosing a new payment method. 68% say the risk of fraud is a significant consideration, while over half (54%) flag the risk of data breaches as a key concern.

Two-fifths of businesses believe the current chargeback process is too skewed in favour of consumers. 49% wish the process were more efficient, and 41% want it scrapped entirely. 

Shoppers surveyed say their biggest concerns centre on convenience and security, with the majority calling for safer, simpler ways to pay – especially for everyday, low value purchases.  

In addition to chargeback concerns, the merchant data shows cost and security are deal-breakers. Almost all of those surveyed (98%) cited low fees as being an important factor when choosing a new payment method, followed closely by how secure it is. 

4,000...Amazon has announced plans to expand Prime same-day and next-day delivery to tens of millions of US customers in more than 4,000 smaller cities, towns, and rural communities by the end of the year.

“Everybody loves fast delivery. So, whether you live in Monmouth, Iowa or in downtown Los Angeles, now you're going to have the same fantastic Amazon customer experience: the ability to get the wide variety of items you need to keep your household running every day, delivered the same or next day,” says Doug Herrington, CEO at Worldwide Amazon Stores.

A key feature of this expansion is the option for customers to shop Amazon’s everyday essentials, which encompasses a selection of groceries and household goods. According to the company, the response from customers in the more than 1,000 smaller cities, towns, and rural communities where it has already begun offering free same-day and next-day delivery has been very positive.

As a result of the faster delivery speeds, customers in these areas are shopping Amazon’s store more frequently and purchasing household essentials at meaningfully higher rates. Of the top 50 repurchased items for same-day delivery in these areas, over 90% are Amazon everyday essentials items.

Amazon plans to expand the convenience and reliability of Same-Day and Next-Day Delivery to tens of millions of U.S. customers in more than 4,000 smaller cities, towns, and rural communities by the end of the year. https://t.co/slAdgApj0l pic.twitter.com/Em6g6yk4QA

— Amazon News (@amazonnews) June 24, 2025

71%...Despite ongoing concerns following cyber attacks on M&S, adidas and The North Face, a new study from Press Ganey Forsta (involving 2,000 Brits) reveals that 71% of UK consumers remain willing to share personal data with retailers, if it results in more personalised and rewarding customer experiences.

This comes at a time of increased scrutiny over how retailers manage consumer data. In parallel with recent security breaches, the research finds that just 22% of consumers trust retailers to use their data responsibly. Yet despite these concerns, many will continue to share personal information when they believe it will lead to a more valuable and personalised retail experience.

According to the study, 47% of consumers would consider switching retailers to receive a more personalised experience, and 11% report they already have. Additionally, 72% would opt for a brand they trust with their data, even if it’s more expensive.

$8 million...Brij, an AI powered platform helping consumer brands unlock and monetise offline customer relationships, has announced the closing of an $8 million oversubscribed funding round.

Led by Bright Pixel Capital and CEAS Investments, thus also saw participation from Artemis Fund, Red Bike Capital, Lakehouse Ventures, Forum Ventures, and SuperAngel.Fund, alongside angels from consumer brands such as Caraway, Brunt Workwear, and Feastables.

The company works with brands including Heineken, Sapporo, Feastables, Quip, Black Diamond, Black & Decker, Once Upon a Farm, Gozney, Momofuku, and ARMRA.

It addresses a challenge for consumer brands selling through third-party retail channels: the inability to maintain direct relationships with their consumers. Its platform enables brands to collect and optimise first-party data across a range of use cases, quantify the incremental revenue driven, and deliver personalised interactions across every channel.

47%...Retailers have made huge strides on gender equality in the boardroom over the last five years, according to a report from the British Retail Consortium and The MBS Group. While women made up 32% of boardrooms five years ago, that number has now almost reached parity, at 47% in this year’s report.

Many retailers have focused on training up the next generation, creating a clear pipeline of future leaders within their businesses. Other initiatives include appointment of D&I leaders, support for those going through menopause, mentoring, and employee led initiatives.

However, the report also shows that not everything is rosy. Leadership representation for people with other characteristics such as a disability and from lower socioeconomic backgrounds saw slow progress. And, despite the whole retail workforce seeing greater ethnic representation, the number of leaders from these minority groups fell. While 12% of retail boards had representation from a minority group last year, it was only 8% this year.

52%...Consumers are flouting retailers' return policies more than ever before, with 52% of Brits admitting to deliberately abusing online retail policies in the last 12 months, according to research by Forter.

On top of this, 18% say if a retailer doesn’t have a policy they can abuse, they will never buy from them again. In their eyes, retailers are now making it so easy to game the system and get free stuff.

The research found: 

• 6% deliberately send the wrong items back 

• 22% buy in bulk to avoid delivery costs 

• 21% create their own unauthorised "try before you buy" service through bulk purchasing and free returns  

• 31% abuse flexible return policies to try or wear expensive items they couldn’t otherwise afford 

• 12% create multiple online accounts  with the same retailer to receive promotions and perks 

$18 million...Sifflet, a data observability platform whose customers include Penguin Random House, Carrefour, and Auchan, has raised $18 million in funding from existing shareholders EQT Ventures and Mangrove Capital Partners, with Capmont Technology joining as a new investor. This takes it to $35.8 million in total.

Founded in 2021, Sifflet announced its official product launch in 2023. The new investment will go towards allowing it to focus on expanding its North American presence to meet demand and accelerate product innovation. 

Chief Data Officer at Penguin Random House, Pete Williams, says: “Sifflet has become an essential part of how we ensure data reliability across the business, not just within engineering. What sets them apart is their ability to combine technical depth with real-world usability. Their AI native approach doesn’t just detect issues, it gives our team the context to act faster and smarter. That’s game-changing at our scale.”

“We’ve always believed that data quality is both a technical and organisational challenge - and the market is now confirming that belief. With this new capital, we’re doubling down on product innovation, AI native capabilities, and North American expansion to help enterprises unlock trusted, actionable data at scale,” says Salma Bakouk, Co-founder and CEO at Sifflet.