Building a competitive edge against Amazon and Temu: 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 Attensi, Forrester, Oh Polly, Zenline AI, IGD, Mamas & Papas, HI-CHEW, DHL eCommerce, Asda, Walmart, B&Q, GXO, Oasis, and Taylor Swift.
2,500…Asda said this week that sales in its current quarter would be hit by disruption linked to the final phase of a major IT overhaul separating over 2,500 systems from former owner Walmart.
The project has now wrapped, with all stores, food depots and office systems operating on Asda owned technology. "The collective rate of completion did cause some temporary disruption with product availability and in our online experience, which will impact our sales outturn in the current (third) quarter," Asda Executive Chairman Allan Leighton said.
This was, he claimed, the biggest IT systems change "certainly in Europe, maybe ever…This is no mean feat. Building a completely new set of systems whilst trying to run on the other systems - it's open heart surgery while the patient's still alive."
58%...A new study by Attensi, a provider of game-based solutions for skills and people development, has revealed a widespread but under-acknowledged workforce challenge: skill masking - the act of employees hiding skill gaps to appear more competent.
The findings suggest that companies may be overlooking a quiet, internal struggle with confidence among workforces that begins during the onboarding process and continues through the employee lifecycle.
According to the study of 2,000 employees across industries and age groups, 58% say they’ve engaged in skill masking at some point in their current role. 46% admit to pretending to understand tasks they don’t, and 40% actively avoid asking for help, even when unsure how to proceed.
8.9%...New research from Forrester reveals that e-commerce represents 16% of retail sales across France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and the UK, with total retail projected to grow 8.9% in 2025.
By 2029, online sales will dominate many categories, driven by consumers’ demand for convenience, near universal smartphone use among older demographics, and rising preference for sustainable products - setting the stage for e-commerce to reshape the global economy by 2040.
Forrester’s report details how distributed, dynamic, live, and quick commerce strategies are reshaping growth for B2C leaders as consumer eyeballs are moving to new channels. UK specific data shows 40% of consumers use social media weekly to discover products or brands, 70% want retailer sites to show in-store availability, and 46% would trust brands more if they shared real ownership experiences during early phases of research.
Meanwhile, 63% of UK online adults still buy in-store at least weekly. With stricter data policies and rising costs, UK brands are testing retail media, marketplaces, and AI to meet expectations while protecting margins.
240,000 and 150...B&Q is piloting GXO’s AI powered transport optimisation platform.
This technology analyses millions of route variations to identify the most efficient schedules, with early results indicating potential savings of 240,000 kilometres and 150 tonnes of CO₂ annually. Full implementation is planned for 2025.
As part of its path to net-zero, GXO employs an activity-based carbon accounting methodology, using DEFRA conversion factors to calculate emissions from fuel usage, energy consumption, and mileage. This data is submitted monthly to Kingfisher and independently audited annually.
Since their partnership began in 2015, GXO has managed B&Q’s retail transport network, including national and regional distribution centres, store to home final mile services, returns processing, and a flagship seasonal warehouse. B&Q has a strong online presence and marketplace, with over 700,000 products available for home delivery or Click and Collect.
GXO and @BandQ are soaring along our #Sustainability Glidepath, a comprehensive roadmap to decarbonize B&Q's fleet: 🪁
— GXO (@GXOLogistics) August 27, 2025
📆 The plan was for B&Q to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 — but with a 40% reductions in our emissions forecast just last year, we're ahead of… pic.twitter.com/zEff9YEZ7J
19%...New research commissioned by IGD reveals a significant disconnect between young people's career aspirations and their awareness of diverse opportunities within the UK's food and drink industry.
Its survey, involving over 1,000 young people aged 16-25 and 1,000 parents, underscores a pressing need to reframe the industry's image and highlight its breadth of modern career paths.
38% of young people aged 16-25 cite their parents or guardians as the single biggest influence on their career considerations. This influence often translates into pressure, with 57% of young people admitting they have felt pressure from parents or teachers to pursue 'traditional' or 'safe' careers such as law, medicine, or finance, even if not aligned with their interests.
Strikingly, despite this external pressure, 61% of young people expressed a genuine passion for creative and service led industries, including careers in food, hospitality, and media. However, 19% do not realise they can pursue these passions within a career in the food and drink industry.
From AI and cybersecurity, to engineering and analytics, many roles in the food and drink industry go unnoticed. 19% of young people surveyed admit to not being aware of the jobs available. 72% do not consider it a place where they could discover their purpose and learn essential skills, even though 78% of respondents have a passion that could be met in the food and drinks space.
5...Lauren Nicole Muir is celebrating five years in the role of Head of E-commerce at online fashion retailer Oh Polly.
In a LInkedIn post, she said: “Hitting my five year milestone at Oh Polly has me feeling a bit reflective, thinking back to the girl in 2020 who was a fresh Covid graduate wondering when and how she’d ever get a job (and definitely enjoying instagram filters more than she should’ve).”
“Five years on and I’m 26 years old with the privilege of leading an exceptional team, and all e-commerce and digital product ownership, of a £100 million+ Scottish e-tailer with a huge digital and social presence. In that time I’ve managed to work in three different teams (digital, tech and e-commerce) and grow alongside the brand, taking on some incredible projects.”
Muir has been involved in: Website launches and migrations to Shopify; Mobile app migrations and launches on Tapcart; New international websites with Shopify and third parties; Marketplace and wholesale launches; The opening of a new international 3PL; The opening of a new international retail store; Migrations of onsite search and merch tools; Integration of new software like Order Protection, Order Editing, Loop, Okendo, Truefit, Algolia, Status, Rivo, Ometria, Bloomreach, LoyaltyLion, Ada, Signifyd and Metapack; Implementation of an Airtable PIM.
€560 million...DHL eCommerce, DHL Group’s e-commerce logistics spin off, has announced the opening of a new facility in the Midlands. The depot in Minworth, Birmingham will increase handling capacity by 50% and service over 80 core routes with a further 30 during peak season.
The newly refurbished 9,700 m2 site, developed by Mileway, operates solely on electricity, with 13 electric vehicle charging points to minimise delivery emissions. The facility also features an integrated rainwater harvesting system to reduce its water consumption and has achieved an EPC A rating.
Stuart Hill, CEO at DHL eCommerce UK, says: “We are thrilled to announce the opening of this new depot in Birmingham. As demand continues to grow across the UK, having a strategic location in the Midlands that connects us to even more customers is crucial. The location coupled with the sustainability credentials of the new site means we will serve more customers, more efficiently and more sustainably.”
The site forms part of DHL eCommerce’s €560 million investment in the UK announced in 2022 and follows the opening of its new 25,000 m2 parcel hub in Coventry earlier this year.
$1.6 million...Zenline AI has secured $1.6 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Seedcamp, with participation from Yellow, First Momentum, and Arc Investors.
The startup develops artificial intelligence that combines margin data with market trends to deliver automated, product level recommendations - from pricing actions to assortment consolidation. Retail teams use Zenline to support new product launches, rationalisation efforts, and the ongoing optimisation of existing listings.
It will use the cash to accelerate product development, refine its AI model, and expand into additional verticals.
“We build AI agents that think like assortment decision-makers, but operate in seconds. Our mission is to empower European retailers to compete profitably again. Given how critical and shopper centric assortment is, a retailer can win by increasing its top line and building a competitive edge against Amazon and Temu, because customers will easily find what they are looking for, consciously or not.” says Arber Sejdiji, CEO at Zenline AI.
107% and 78%...TSB has warned music fans to stay vigilant regarding ticket fraud, as the bank's customer data shows how people desperate to see Taylor Swift and Oasis fell victim to scams.
It compared the 15 Taylor Swift UK shows in 2024, with 15 UK Oasis concerts this summer to uncover which led to the most losses for its customers. Oasis fans lost 107% more money to scammers than Taylor Swift fans. They were also significantly more likely to be scammed, having recorded 78% more cases than Swifties.
Oasis fans lost an average of £318 - more than £240 above the starting ticket price. In comparison, some Swifties lost £219 on average, around £108 more than face value.
TSB warns fans to stay alert on social media platforms, as its customer data shows most ticket fraud cases stemmed from online platforms. Overall, Facebook accounted for 66% of cases, followed by X (19%), Instagram (5%), Snapchat (4%) and Tik Tok (4%).
The Life of a Showgirl: The Tiny Bubbles in Champagne Vinyl Collection is available now on my site for 48 hours while supplies last ❤️🔥https://t.co/WdrCmvMfo8
— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) August 25, 2025
Album Producers: Max Martin, Shellback and Taylor Swift
📸: Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott pic.twitter.com/y7kb3B4YvU
3...Japanese candy brand HI-CHEW reports its third and biggest activation in Fortnite.
In a LinkedIn post, Jaime (Brand) Kapoor, Senior Client Partner at Super League, a publisher of immersive games and experiences on digital platforms like Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite, said: "This programme is special to me, especially in appreciation of the trust HI-CHEW has placed in Super League to continue our partnership for the third year in a row, pushing the envelope for innovation and supporting the Fortnite community in new and meaningful ways."
She added: "What started as a single integration has now evolved into a full scale, multi-touch programme - built with fans, for fans: five HI-CHEW mini-games inside the wildly popular MinigameBox PVP; three creator built islands through Fortnite’s first brand backed incubator; a reward system offering both exclusive in-game loot and IRL merch and candy."
35...Congratulations to Chris Greenwood who is celebrating 35 years at Mamas & Papas. He has held the role of CIO at the retailer since the 1990s.
In a LinkedIn post, Greenwood said: “I can’t quite believe it’s been 35 years since I began my career at Mamas & Papas. I’ve watched the business grow from a small UK wholesaler into a global nursery brand and retailer - and I’ve been lucky enough to be part of that journey.”
“I’ll always be grateful to the founders, David and Luisa Scacchetti, who took a chance on me back in 1990, asking me to lead and transform the IT function. That opportunity gave me an incredible career - and it’s also where I met my wonderful wife. In short, it changed my life.”
$3.5 million...UK hospitality tech company Embargo has raised $3.5 million in a funding round that included participation from investors in the UK, the United States, and Europe, including Paul Statham (founder of Condeco), Christo Georgiev (founder of myPOS), the food industry focused fund Hampton Finance (created by the Chantler family, founders of Meadow Foods), Stephen Zinser, Carl Christian Reiner, as well as Oh Polly and its founder Mike Branney.
Founded by Frederick Szydlowski and Tsewang Wangkang, Embargo is a CRM, loyalty and ordering platform that aims to help coffee shops, restaurants and bakeries boost customer retention and digital sales across every revenue channel (in-store, Click & Collect, and delivery).
Embargo is currently used by nearly 3,000 venues, with a footprint in the UK, Poland and Western Europe. It lays claim to processing more than 13 million transactions and digital stamps.
Szydlowski says: “Our mission is to level the playing field for hospitality SMEs keen to grow their revenues and scale - we do that by giving them access to the kind of tools typically reserved for global enterprises.”
“This investment is not just a vote of confidence in our product and growth to date, but also in the scale of the opportunity ahead. With strong foundations, a growing international footprint, and a clear product roadmap, we’re perfectly positioned to become the go-to platform for hospitality businesses worldwide.”
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