'The grocery industry is refighting WW2': the biggest retail technology stories from August
August is done and dusted, September is up and running, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful month for the retail systems space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from August, including Co-op, VusionGroup, Holland & Barrett, M&S, Asda, Focal Systems, Walmart, Amazon, Nike, Sainsbury's, and lululemon.
1. Co-op claims UK’s largest electronic shelf edge label deployment powered by VusionGroup
VusionGroup has ramped up its partnership with Co-op as the roll-out of electronic shelf labels continues across the UK, with the aim of making shopping smarter, more transparent, and more sustainable.
With NFC enabled shelf labels, people can now tap directly at the shelf to join Co-op's membership offering in seconds, unlocking personalised offers, exclusive pricing, and deals.
The new electronic labels (powered by VusionCloud) also: provide transparency on allergens, nutrition, and country of origin; instantly update prices, promotions, and savings; simplify in-store tasks like stock replenishment and online order picking; improve inventory management; cut paper waste by replacing traditional labels.
Currently live in 700+ stores, the roll-out will reach 1,600 by the end of 2025 and every Co-op store by 2026. It marks the UK’s largest electronic shelf-edge label deployment.
2. Vineta Bajaj departs Rohlik Group for CFO role at health and wellbeing retailer Holland & Barrett
Holland & Barrett reports that Vineta Bajaj is taking on the role of Group CFO in September, replacing Nick Allen who is leaving the retailer to pursue other opportunities.
Bajaj previously held the same position at Rohlik Group. a Pan European online grocer spanning five countries that has unicorn status.
She also spent ten years at Ocado Group, the FTSE 50 online grocer and technology provider, supporting its growth and strategic M&A, strategic divestments and fundraising over £1.5 billion.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Holland & Barrett at such an exciting moment in its journey.” says Bajaj.
“As the business accelerates its transformation to become a global, digital first wellness leader, I look forward to bringing my experience in omnichannel retail, e-commerce and AI and technology led growth to support its bold ambitions. It’s a fantastic brand with a powerful purpose in a sector that’s only growing in relevance and impact.”
3. M&S stumps up £340 million for automated Northamptonshire food DC with go live in 2029
Marks & Spencer has announced a £340 million investment in its food supply chain - the largest in its history. This will fund the development of an automated national distribution centre (NDC) in Northamptonshire - a key part of plans to double the size of the M&S Food business.
Alex Freudmann, MD at M&S Food, comments: “We’re transforming M&S into a destination for the weekly shop and modernising our supply chain is central to that ambition. This investment will boost capacity for future growth, lower our cost to serve over the long-term, and improve product availability - ensuring customers find the right products in the right place at the right time.”
“Our new site will strengthen our network and help us get ahead of the volume curve as we build a bigger, better Food business. By using the latest, proven automation, we are future-proofing both our business and UK retail logistics, as well as creating 1,000 jobs permanently on site and 2,000 during the construction phase.”
Spanning 1.3 million square feet, the new facility will be based at Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal, and is expected to open in 2029. The move follows an announcement earlier in the year to open a new 390k square foot distribution centre at Avonmouth in Bristol, serving stores in the Midlands, South-west England and South Wales.
4. Walmart sets sights on Gen Z and Gen Alpha as retailer introduces new immersive online storefronts
Walmart has launched a new series of immersive online storefronts, with a focus on cultural movements inspired by and shaping Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
In a LinkedIn post, Justin Breton, Head of Brand Partnerships & Emerging Experiences, said: "Over a year ago, we launched Walmart Realm, an immersive shopping experience blending culture, content, and commerce to facilitate product discovery and brand reappraisal. Since then, it’s connected millions of younger shoppers with creator curated products, interactive mini-games, and trend driven storytelling through this emerging medium."
He added: "We’re now introducing our boldest wave of new immersive storefronts yet, all rooted in the cultural movements inspired by and shaping Gen Z and Gen Alpha, as we redefine how they discover, connect, and shop with our brand online. We’re starting with the vibrant K-POP Era, followed by Lo-Fi Playing, Rodeo Dreams, Nature Breaks, and Group Woosah."
The move is in support of Walmart Delivers, the US retail giant's IRL mobile pop-ups bringing these social trends to cities nationwide where consumers can expect photo booths, customisable giveaways, and interactive zones that turn shopping into an event. On 2nd September, the Walmart Delivers K-POP pop-up will be at the BABYMONSTER concert in Chicago.
5. American Eagle Sydney Sweeney jeans campaign controversy powered by AI driven social media manipulation
Most recently, Dr. Phil McCraw weighed in with his take.
The TV personality appeared on an episode of Real Time with Bill Maher, which saw the titular host say: "Sydney Sweeney came out as - not came out - she was exposed as a Republican. And she has the big jeans ad that was controversial. And they reported this like it was a scandal, [that] she's a Republican. I just got to say this is not where I want America to go. It is not a slur that someone is a Republican."
"For people to go crazy over that ad [that says] 'she's got good genes,' and for them to say that's the equivalent of the Holocaust, is an absolute insult," McCraw added. "Six million people were killed. Six million Jews were massacred and murdered, and they equate that to a blue jeans ad for a Hollywood actress? What an insult."
He continued, "That is ridiculous. I'm gonna go out and buy those jeans for every woman in my family, everybody I know just to show support."
The backlash has been amplified by fake TikTok profiles, according to Cyabra research.
"What we found out about American Eagle Outfitters' Sydney Sweeney campaign is wild - 15% fake profiles, 77,000 engagements, 4,000% spike in negative sentiment in just seven days. The shift from positive buzz to full blown crisis happened in only 36 hours," says Dan Brahmy, Co-founder and CEO at Cyabra.
"The coordination, linguistic patterns, and posting velocity all point to one thing: this was powered by LLMs. This is what modern, AI driven manipulation looks like - fast, targeted, and devastating for brand reputation."
6. Kroger, Instacart and Target among biggest losers as Amazon makes long awaited major move in grocery deliveries
Amazon reports that customers in more than 1,000 US cities and towns can now order fresh groceries with their same-day delivery orders, with plans to expand to over 2,300 across the country by year end.
People will have the option to order the likes of produce, dairy, meat, seafood, baked goods, and frozen foods, alongside the likes of everyday household essentials, electronics, fashion, and home and garden.
“We’re continuously innovating to make grocery shopping simpler, faster, and more affordable for our customers, especially Prime members,” says Doug Herrington, CEO at Worldwide Amazon Stores.
“By introducing fresh groceries into our same-day delivery service, we’re creating a quick and easy experience for customers. They can order milk alongside electronics; oranges, apples, and potatoes with a mystery novel; and frozen pizza at the same time as tools for their next home improvement project - and check out with one cart and have everything delivered to their doorstep within hours.”
Brittain Ladd, a supply chain consultant and former Amazon executive, says: “Amazon is leveraging its strengths (amazon.com and its advanced logistics network) to scale its grocery business without having to compete head-to-head against Walmart, Kroger and other grocery retailers by building stores. The grocery industry is refighting WW2. Amazon has launched a guerilla warfare campaign.”
7. Nike announces launch of homegrown cloud-based iOS native Point of Sale system across stores
Nike has gone live with an in house developed, cloud-based, iOS native Point of Sale solution, a project that it says has been years in the making.
"Grateful to everyone who’s been part of this journey, past and present. Your work laid the foundation for this moment," says Alfredo Carigga, Global Product Leader at Nike.
"This go live brings some of the most impressive innovations we’ve launched to date: offline mode support; fastest staging time (25 mins vs. four hours); tap to login functionality (via NFC); new mobile and fixed PoS launch; seamless omnichannel integration - carts, promos, and membership (loyalty)"
He added: "The road ahead is ambitious: 1K stores, 50K store athletes, multiple geographies. But when we get there, we’ll have the most advanced, fastest, and most sophisticated PoS system I’ve worked on in my career. The Swoosh keeps moving forward - powered by innovation, built for athletes, and obsessed with serving the consumer at speed."
8. Sainsbury's announces change at the top as Mark Given becomes Chief Technology, Marketing and Data Officer
Sainsbury’s reports significant changes to its operating board across customer experience, technology, commercial and sustainability.
Effective from 3rd September, Tracey Clements will join as Chief Retail, Logistics and Supply Officer, a newly created role that unifies Sainsbury’s Retail, Digital, Customer Experience, Supply Chain and Logistics under a single leadership.
She previously spent 17 years with Tesco where she held a significant number of leadership roles, including Store Manager and Store Director, Managing Director of Tesco Express and CEO of One Stop. Following this, she was Chief Operating Officer at Boots UK & Ireland, where she led the operation of the business through the Covid-19 pandemic. Most recently, she was Senior Vice President of Mobility and Convenience Europe at bp.
Operating board accountability for technology will move to Mark Given, who becomes Chief Technology, Marketing and Data Officer from 1st September, following Clodagh Moriarty’s move to Dunelm.
9. Asda kicks off trial of Focal Systems AI powered store shelf scanning cameras in five locations
Asda has deployed AI powered cameras from Focal Systems that scan shelves on an hourly basis to detect in-stocks, out-of-stocks, lows, and if products are in the wrong spot.
A trial is currently underway at five of the UK grocery giant’s stores.
The cameras are placed on poles on top shelves in stores and can monitor around eight feet of shelf space opposite.
Shout out to Steve Dresser, CEO at Grocery Insight, for bringing this to our attention.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: “I remain unconvinced on this technology. Battery life requires the swap out of physical batteries, the resolution on the images is low and it's far too easy to game this system also. (IE facing over). It relies on stores informing Focal the plan has been changed (why?) and fundamentally it will always end up with central teams monitoring the stores.”
He added: “Sure they may not at the start, but there's the optionality....I remain concerned by the ability to zero stock files based on imagery alone and alert after alert each hour just makes teams responsive, not reactive.”
10. Swan AI Studios founder Ranju Das joins lululemon in new Chief AI and Technology Officer role
lululemon has appointed Ranju Das as Chief AI & Technology Officer. In this newly created role, he will be responsible for leading the company’s technology organisation and driving the development and execution of the next phase of its tech and AI strategy.
He will report to Chief Executive Officer, Calvin McDonald, and will join the company’s senior leadership team.
“We see an exciting opportunity to further leverage AI and technology to advance our product innovation process, improve our agility and speed to market, and bring more engagement and personalisation to our guest experience,” says McDonald.
“Ranju’s breadth of expertise and proven track record of leading large scale technology and AI transformations make him the ideal individual to drive this work forward at lululemon and take our technology organisation to the next level. We’re thrilled to welcome Ranju to the team.”
Das previously held the role of CEO and founder at Swan AI Studios, where he led the development of AI platforms and applications across industries. Prior to that, he served as CEO at OptumLabs, the R&D arm of UnitedHealth Group, where he led AI and data driven initiatives across healthcare and insurance verticals.
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