'Dopamine experience': Marketing Director Eilidh MacAskill signs off with Ocado Retail and on with Matalan

Eilidh MacAskill is starting a new position as Marketing Director at Matalan.

She joins from Ocado Retail where she held the same role. Her CV also includes stints at Time Out Group and Asda.

In a LinkedIn post, she said: “A mere three weeks in and I am absolutely loving it. I feel exceptionally lucky to be joining the business at this point where the vision of exec, including my new boss Sarah Welsh (Chief Product, Brand & Commercial Officer), is so compelling.”

She added: “Given that I have a real soft spot for transformations this is my perfect gig, merging long-term fashion experience with retail chops. Whilst you could say that my editorial/media experience leant towards luxury and high fashion there is an enormous satisfaction in working on democratic brands that actually have an everyday relevance. It is genuinely a dopamine experience.”

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions recently reported the expansion of its partnership with Matalan.

The relationship, which began in 2017 with the roll-out of Toshiba’s Point of Sale hardware solutions across Matalan’s store estate, now sees the latter become the first retailer in the United Kingdom to implement the former’s VisualStore Commerce Platform.

The platform's self-enablement features, including a screen designer, promotion tool, and configuration management, allow store teams to make updates without relying on third-party support.

“We introduced our software proposition to the UK market last year to empower retailers with tools to better serve their customers,” said Martin Ward, Head of Software UK&I at Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions.

“Throughout the process with Matalan, we demonstrated how our software is fully featured and more flexible, enabling retailers to manage and update capabilities independently, with no ongoing costs. We believe self-enablement is the future of retail technology, and we’re thrilled to lead this shift. Securing our first deal in such a short timeframe is testament to the strength of our solution.”

Matalan’s Director of IT & Transformation, Chris Salkeld, commented: "We’re delighted to be expanding our partnership with Toshiba, who shares our commitment to delivering innovative solutions that improve the experience for both our customers and our colleagues. We’re always trying to find new ways to serve our customers better and look forward to rolling out the VisualStore platform across our stores.”

Implementation workshops have been completed, with pilot deployment set for late summer 2025 and full roll-out across Matalan stores planned by spring 2026. As part of the project, the retailer will also upgrade approximately 1,800 in-store devices to Toshiba’s latest generation hardware.

2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS

PoS solutions will be a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards, which are now open for entries, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our 2024 hall of fame entrants were revealed during an event which took place at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on 21st November, and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by comedian Lucy Porter.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “The event is now into its sixth year and what a journey it has been. The awards started life as an online only affair during the Covid outbreak, before launching as a small scale in real life event and growing year on year to the point where we’re now selling out this fine, historic venue.”

He added: “Congratulations to all of our finalists. Many submissions did not make it through to the final stage, and getting to this point is no mean feat. Checkout-free stores, automated supply chains, immersive experiences, on-demand delivery, next generation loyalty offerings, inclusive retail, green technology. We’ve got all the cool stuff covered this evening.”

“But just importantly we’ve got lots of great examples of companies taking innovative tech and making it usable in everyday operations - resulting in more efficiency and profitability in all areas.”

Congratulations to our 2024 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended November's gathering. 

For further information on the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, please fill in the below form and we will get back to you asap.