Micro-stores, quick commerce, and viral sandos: 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 Carrefour Belgium, M&S, Wolt, MediaMarkt, Just Eat UK, Filics, lululemon, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Beano Brain, and Pimloc.

1…Carrefour Belgium has developed a new autonomous micro-store concept, BuyBye, in association with Reckon.AI, with the aim of tapping into opportunities beyond traditional retail.

And now Carrefour and Accor are launching one of these in France. In an ibis Styles hotel near Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, guests can now visit a BuyBye microstore day and night. This is pitched as the first of its kind in a hotel environment.

In a LinkedIn post, Carrefour Belgium said: “This microstore works completely autonomously thanks to AI and smart refrigerators that automatically recognise, weigh and pay for the chosen products. It’s ideal for travellers arriving late, or departing early and looking for a nice breakfast, quick lunch or snack.”

It added: “Our Belgian expertise paved the way for this first in France. We first launched BuyBye at Belgian locations, including NATO's SHAPE base in Mons.  In short, a great example of how we use retail innovation to make consumers' lives easier. Congratulations to everyone who contributed to this!”

2...Technology company and delivery company Wolt has announced the expansion of its partnership with electronics retailer MediaMarkt.

The pair are now partnering in two key markets - Hungary and Austria - to deliver small electronic devices and accessories directly to customers’ doorsteps in as little as 35 to 90 minutes.

Following a pilot in Budapest, Wolt customers across Hungary can now order from 40 MediaMarkt stores  via the Wolt app. The selection includes thousands of products, from Bluetooth speakers and gaming controllers to chargers and fans.

In Austria, MediaMarkt has integrated Wolt Drive as a delivery option on its own webshop, starting with Vienna. Customers browsing the MediaMarkt website can now select rapid delivery via Wolt for eligible items - from coffee machines to headphones - and have them delivered within 90 minutes.

79%...Today's kids are global foodies experimenting with everything from mochi to mukbang, bao buns to bubble tea. At the same time, however, one in four UK parents are working extra hours or taking second jobs just to afford family groceries, according to new research from kids' insight agency Beano Brain.

This is based on an online survey of 2,000 parents of kids aged nought to 17 in the UK and US, along with Beano Brain’s Omnibus of 1,000 kids aged seven to 14 across both countries.

Its report reveals that 32% of kids actively seek to try new foods, with Gen Alpha developing sophisticated palates and distinct food preferences at an earlier age than any previous generation. Far from being picky, 27% who claim to be "selective eaters" simply know what they like – and what they don't.

Yet most parents (79%) are overwhelmed by grocery costs and 48% say healthy food choices are too expensive with many (46%) switching to cheaper brands. A third of lower-income families are buying less food overall.

€13.5 million...Filics, a Munich-based developer of solutions for autonomous load carrier handling, has announced completion of a financing round.

The new backers include Sandwater, Alven, F-LOG Ventures, and the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund, alongside Bayern Kapital, business angels Andrei Danescu (Founder and CEO at Dexory) and Helmut Schmid (CCO at Filics and former CEO at Agilox), and with continued participation from Capnamic and 10x Founders.

The funds raised (€13.5 million) will mainly be used to expand product development and its robotics platform, as well as to internationalise the business model. Filics plans to make the Filics Unit, a double runner system for automated pallet handling, available for floor block storage systems by the end of 2025 and to prepare for market entry in other European markets in 2026.

£49 billion...New data from Adobe, powered by Adobe Analytics, reveals that UK online spending reached £49 billion in the first half of 2025, representing a YoY increase of just 1.6%.   

The combination of low consumer confidence, increasing offline inflation and household costs, and wider concerns about the economy saw consumers buy fewer full-priced items, and substitute their regular items for cheaper alternatives in the first half of the year. 

Of particular concern for retailers are the lower than expected online spending figures from May (-1.2% YoY) and June (+1.4%), bringing the prospect of a summer slowdown into sharp focus despite prices across the online retail landscape remaining low. 

Retailers will be hoping that – as in previous year’s – July’s four-day Amazon Prime Day event will ignite demand across the board and give their figures a much needed boost. 

$5 million...Pimloc, an AI video privacy and analytics company, has secured $5 million in investment led by Amadeus Capital Partners and Edge Ventures with Zetta Venture Partners, MD One, and Symvan Capital. It says that the cash will enable it to tap the growing global market for secure video.

“This is a pivotal moment for us,” says Simon Randall, CEO at Pimloc. “We’re scaling rapidly into new sectors, regions, and multimodal workflows, and this investment is a strong endorsement of the platform we’ve built and the category we’re defining.”

“Each investor brings strategic insight - whether in AI, industry specific domains, or international expansion - that goes well beyond capital. Their backing strengthens our ability to grow thoughtfully, unlock new high impact use cases, and deliver the infrastructure the world needs for privacy first AI.”

The company’s Secure Redact platform has been deployed across law enforcement, healthcare, education, insurance, transport, and retail sectors via SaaS, APIs and private cloud deployments, to meet rising privacy, transparency, and compliance demands.

In terms of its channel partner network, integrations are in place with the likes of Microsoft, Eagle Eye Networks, Milestone Systems, amd Rhombus Systems.

£5.99...Just Eat UK is launching its new membership service, Just Eat+, giving customers unlimited free deliveries. People can sign up with a one off £5.99 payment for 90 days.

Claire Pointon, UK&I Managing Director at Just Eat, says: “We’re thrilled to be launching Just Eat+ - which is designed to make everyday ordering that bit easier and more rewarding.”

“Whether it’s a quick dinner for the family or a last minute order for summer essentials, our new membership gives customers more flexibility, with greater value and access to exclusive perks, all with no delivery fees. With thousands of restaurants, supermarkets, and shops to choose from, Just Eat+ helps people get whatever they need, whenever they need it.”

12.6 million and 38.5k...Unless you've been living in a cave for the past week, you'll know that M&S has launched a limited edition strawberries and cream sandwich, which is inspired by the viral Japanese fruit sando.

The retailer is laying claim to a social media sensation, including one of its most popular ever posts.

In a LinkedIn post, Kathryn Turner, Director of Product Development at M&S Food, said: "Our Strawberries & Creme Sando landed in-store last week and I'm delighted that it's created such a buzz online and in-store.”

“Thanks to some brilliant innovation, the sandwich has made headlines and generated hundreds of pieces of coverage, including spotlights on national television. We've even seen our socials go strawberry mad, with 12.6 million views and 38.5k likes on Instagram, the sandwich has become our third most liked post ever."

88,787...New research from Inverto, part of BCG, shows the number of electric freight vehicles (EVs) on UK roads has grown significantly. The number grew to 88,787 in the last year compared to 67,678 in the previous 12 months  Nevertheless, these vehicles still represent only 1.4% of the total 6.2 million freight vehicles in the UK.

Car manufacturers and logistics companies operating freight vehicles face similar dilemmas. They both need to meet corporate and governmental decarbonisation targets. Curbing Scope 3 emissions is now a requirement in many private and public sector contracts.

Companies that operate freight vehicles are also adopting electric fleets to meet decarbonisation and Scope 3 emissions targets as set out in their commercial contracts. EV adoption ensures that companies can comply with government and decarbonisation Scope 3 targets too.

However, the UK government is indicating that it will lower its EV adoption goals as industries reassess their emissions targets. Such attitudes indicate that EV adoption will remain low. 

360,000...Waitrose has announced a multi-million investment in a 360,000 sq ft distribution centre at Mountpark’s Bristol360 in the south west of England.

The site, which will be the retailer’s first distribution centre in the region, will open towards the end of 2026, making deliveries to around 50 of its existing stores, with the capacity to support new locations.

Waitrose is working on plans to open new convenience and full line stores throughout the UK.  Last month, the retailer announced that a store will be built at Brabazon in north Bristol, which is expected to open in 2027, and later this year a new convenience store will open in The Arches, Bristol.  

Mountpark’s Bristol 360 has various energy efficient and sustainable features, including over 1,200 solar panels. Waitrose estimates that the south west site will enable it to reduce annual mileage within its supply chain by 2,225 tonnes of CO2 per year, helping it meet its target of being net zero carbon by 2035 and fossil fuel free by 2030.  

Alison Maffin, Waitrose’s Supply Chain Director, says: “This multi-million pound investment is an important step in modernising our supply chain and setting us up to build the capacity needed for our growth plans. It will enable us to better serve our customers in the region, more efficiently supply our existing shops and reduce our operating costs and carbon emissions. The modern and sustainable features of Mountpark’s Bristol 360 make it an excellent fit for our business."

1...Athleisure brand lululemon opened its first airport store in Europe, at Terminal 5 at London’s Heathrow, on Friday, 4th July.

The 1,110 sq ft location will carry the retailer’s range of leggings, yoga gear, “travel friendly layers” and accessories.

Fraser Brown, Retail Sirector at Heathrow, says: “We are thrilled to welcome lululemon to Heathrow, their first airport store in Europe. It has amassed a cult following for good reason, and we are excited to welcome such an iconic activewear brand to Heathrow.”

“An exciting time and it was great to see our passengers reaction to the brand, as we opened on Friday. The biggest thank you and well done to all involved Charlotte Bakewell (Senior Account Manager), Chloe Dorman (Team Administrator), and Amy Rufino (Senior Project Manager at Hackpen Hill Associates),” says Nancy Stewart, Head of Category - Duty Free, Luxury, Gift & Shopping Services at Heathrow.

1 million...Sainsbury’s is giving EV drivers the chance to take part in its biggest ever Nectar points giveaway from Smart Charge, its ultra-rapid EV charging network. 

Until 20th July, EV drivers who charge at any Smart Charge location and add their Nectar card will automatically be entered into a competition for the chance to pocket one million Nectar points, worth at least £5,000 in rewards.

Patrick Dunne, Chief Property and Procurement Officer, and MD Smart Charge, said: “Smart Charge makes EV charging simple, reliable, accessible, and affordable for all EV drivers across the UK. We’re proud to be the UK’s first EV charging service to offer loyalty rewards from Nectar, the UK’s largest multi-partner loyalty programme at our charging hubs. This giveaway is a brilliant way for us to further reward our loyal customers.”