2025 RTIH Innovation Awards judging panel takes shape: our biggest articles on LinkedIn right now
We’re big fans of LinkedIn and are busy building an amazing community of retail tech enthusiasts on the social media platform. As we power towards the 25,000 followers mark, these are the articles that are currently on their radars, including Thoughtworks, East of England Co-op, GK Software, Nextail, Primark, Lidl Ireland, and Royal Mail.
Alla Gancz departs EY for global payments strategy role at technology consultancy Thoughtworks
Alla Gancz has joined technology consultancy, Thoughtworks, as Payments Vertical Leader, based in London.
She was previously at EY, where she served as Partner, UK Payments Consulting Leader.
In a LinkedIn post, she said: "As part of the BFSI leadership team, I’ll be responsible for shaping payments strategy, value proposition, thought leadership, and ecosystem partnerships across the global payments landscape."
"I look forward to supporting our clients on their journeys of growth, innovation and transformation - working with global financial institutions, banks, payment service providers, networks, FinTechs and PayTechs, merchants, and regulators to help navigate complexity and unlock growth."
She added: "I am incredibly excited to collaborate with the talented colleagues at Thoughtworks, whose commitment to excellence, innovation, and purpose driven work truly stands out. I am especially inspired to join a company with such a rich history, deep technology expertise, and a forward looking mission. With over 30 years of experience in technology consulting, Thoughtworks has been at the forefront of digital innovation - blending design, engineering, and AI expertise."
East of England Co-op Technology Officer Rob Smith joins 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards judging panel
We’re hugely pleased to announce the addition of Rob Smith, Technology Officer, East of England Co-op, to our 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards judging panel.
Rob is a strategic and accomplished technology and people leader with over 20 years’ experience across the retail, finance, and IT sectors.
Renowned for building and inspiring high performing teams, he consistently delivers exceptional results while driving quality and innovation.
Passionate about IT, data, service delivery, and business transformation, Rob excels at modernising practices and enabling continuous improvement. As Technology Officer at East of England Co-op, he leads the organisation’s technology strategy and drives forward its digital and operational evolution.
We're hugely pleased to announce @VistaTechSup as Headline and Drinks Reception Sponsor at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards. Welcome onboard, guys! #RTIHAwards25 https://t.co/8GCmjjn4nQ pic.twitter.com/2LplgXg5jo
— RTIH Innovation Awards (@AwardsRtih) June 13, 2025
Norwegian grocery retailer REMA 1000 brings in GK Software as in-store retail technology partner
GK Software reports that REMA 1000, a Norwegian grocery retailer, has chosen it as a technology partner for its in-store operations.
The tie up centres on the roll-out across 680+ stores of GK CLOUD4RETAIL, a platform that enables retailers to create consistent, personalised shopping experiences across all touchpoints. Implementation of the technology is now underway.
“We’re honoured that REMA 1000 has placed its trust in us. This collaboration was built on shared ambitions for customer centric innovation and teamwork. Together, we are setting a new standard for grocery retail,” says Michael Scheibner, CEO at GK Software, a Fujitsu company.
Clint the cleaning robot turns heads at East of England Co-op store as retailer explores new technology
East of England Co-op has been testing out a cleaning robot (named Clint) at its Stanway Food store.
In a LinkedIn post, the retailer said: "Clint certainly turned some heads as they cruised up and down the aisles, even stopping for a few selfies along the way. We're always exploring new technologies to help us work smarter and create the best experience for our colleagues, members and customers."
Ashley Hollingsworth, Operations Business Partner at East of England Co-op, added: "I’m extremely excited to explore this concept. I want to express my sincere gratitude to David from Cleanbrite UK and Metabots for their unwavering support of this trial."
"Of course, I also want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to East of England Co-op's Lucia Carty, Sean Lumsden and Luke Warren CMIOSH for their invaluable assistance in bringing this trial to life. Additionally, I want to thank Rob Miller and his team at our Stanway branch for their exceptional support."
Primark teams with 3D mapping specialist Apollo3D on virtual scans as part of LED lighting upgrade
Primark has partnered with 3D mapping specialist Apollo3D to create virtual scans of more than 350 stores in the UK and Europe as part of an LED lighting upgrade.
Yorkshire-based Apollo3D says the collaboration will deliver “substantial financial and operational benefits” to the value retailer by decreasing the need for on-site visits and enabling faster project roll-outs.
The partnership is part of wider plans to upgrade lighting in Primark stores to more energy efficient LED systems but has since been used in other store projects.
Lidl Ireland launches in-store bulk feed reverse vending machine as part of Re-turn scheme
Lidl Ireland has become the first supermarket in Ireland to launch a bulk feed reverse vending machine.
As part of Ireland's Re-turn scheme, customers in its Patrick Street store in Mullingar can now return large volumes of bottles and cans in a fraction of the time, by emptying their bags of containers into the feeder of a new RVM Systems Mega machine.
The machine sorts and counts the bottles and cans while the customer sees the deposit value accumulating on-screen. As normal, they then have the option to take their deposit voucher or donate it to a charity partner.
Scotta taps Nextail AI technology to support Spanish retailer's growth across stores and online
Spanish menswear brand Scotta has partnered with Nextail, an AI driven merchandise execution platform purpose built for fashion.
The retailer has 40 bricks and mortar stores in key Spanish cities such as Madrid, Seville, and Valencia, along with a growing e-commerce presence.
To support its growth, it has chosen Nextail’s in-season inventory solutions to tackle process related inefficiencies and gain the agility needed to scale effectively across stores, corners and online channels.
🧥🤝 Spanish menswear brand Scotta 1985 is embracing agile #retail with Nextail!
— Nextail Labs (@Nextail_co) July 8, 2025
We are proud to be part of the brand's growth and look forward to achieving great results together. Get the full scoop here → https://t.co/PcuaYIZveU#RetailTech pic.twitter.com/wwjy9aFRS0
C-stores specialist Co-op announces partnership with The Hacking Games in wake of cyber attack
In the wake of experiencing a cyber attack that made mainstream media headlines and caused significant disruption across the retailer’s business, Co-op has announced a new partnership with The Hacking Games, a UK-based social impact business, that aims to tackle cybercrime by identifying young cyber talent and channelling their skills into positive, ethical careers.
Co-op says that the tie up will combine its reach into every post code area of the UK, community expertise, 38 Co-op Academy schools and their 6.5 million member base with The Hacking Games’ knowledge and expertise in cybercrime.
Shirine Khoury-Haq, Group CEO, says: “We know first hand what it feels like to be targeted by cybercrime. The disruption it causes, the pressure it puts on colleagues, and the impact it has on the people and communities we serve.”
“We can’t just stand back and hope it doesn’t happen again - to us or to others. Our members expect us to find a cooperative means of tackling the cause, not just the symptom. Our partnership with The Hacking Games lets us reach talented young people early, guide their skills toward protection rather than harm, and open real paths into ethical work. When we expand opportunity we reduce risk, while having a positive impact on society.”
Grocery giant Morrisons connects with AI powered supply chain simulation tech firm Kallikor
Morrisons has announced a partnership with supply chain simulation technology specialist Kallikor.
Using the AI powered Adaption platform, Morrisons is creating a digital twin of its end-to-end supply chain, a fully interactive model that mirrors the complexity, scale, and pace of its national network. This provides a design space where its teams can experiment, test, and optimise decisions with speed and precision, from warehouse operations to network wide flows.
As the partnership scales, it will operate with a living digital model fully integrated into its day-to-day operations, enabling continuous optimisation and proactive adaptation to market shifts.
Royal Mail enlists Micah Richards, Judi Love, Josh Widdicombe for Send It Your Way TV advertisement
Royal Mail has teamed up with former footballer and Sky pundit, Micah Richards, ITV comedian and presenter, Judi Love and comedian and presenter, Josh Widdicombe for a Send It Your Way TV advert.
The Send It Your Way campaign promotes the various ways Royal Mail is aiming to make sending and receiving parcels as convenient as possible via the likes of parcel lockers, shops, and postboxes.
“It is great to see Royal Mail advertising our range of out of home options on TV. We really are making it easier for customers to send with us, whichever way they choose. Proud to be part of it!” says Anna Malley, Director of Partnerships and Acquisitions at Royal Mail.
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