Sustainability, AI and autonomous store firsts: RTIH presents July's coolest retail technology plays

RTIH Editor, Scott Thompson, brings you his stand out ‘future of retail’ systems deployments and launches from July, including Exotec, Simbe, Homebase USA, Ocado Retail, Polytag, Morrisons, Instacart, Wegmans, KFC, American Eagle Outfitters, Carrefour, Currys, Reckon.ai, and Kallikor.

Exotec

Warehouse robotics specialist Exotec has announced the opening of new offices in the UK and Munich and the installation of demo centres in Atlanta and Korea. It also reports its first customer in Poland, installing its Skypod System at ILS Logistics in Zakroczym, part of the Inter Cars Group.

The European company is also expanding closer to home. In June, it opened its new office and demo centre at the LabCampus at Munich Airport, which serves as a regional hub for Central Europe. The showroom is suitable for demonstrations of the Skypod system, as well as for training courses.

Homebase USA

HomeBase USA is testing out Simbe’s Store Intelligence platform, which includes the Tally autonomous shelf-scanning robot, at its locations in Copperas Cove, Texas, and Laramie, Wyoming.

Tally captures real-time data on product availability, pricing, and placement, with the aim of achieving fewer out of stocks and an improved customer experience. The Laramie store introduction marks the first deployment of the robot in Wyoming.

Simbe said: “HomeBase joins other farm and ranch retailers already using me to make shopping smoother and team jobs easier. Together, we're ensuring the right items are always in the right place, at the right price.”

Caitlin Allen, SVP of Market at Simbe, added: “For store associates, repetitive inventory checks can eat up hours each week, and aren’t exactly anyone’s favourite task. Automating those checks means teams can focus on what really matters: helping customers and keeping the shopping experience smooth. Excited to watch HomeBase unlock even more efficiency and team impact with Tally in the aisles.”

Mark Dremel, District Manager at HomeBase, commented: “Getting inventory right is fundamental to our business, and with Tally, we’re equipping our teams with the insights they need to succeed. This pilot is an exciting step toward improving both operational performance and the in-store experience, and we’re eager to see Tally’s impact as we look to scale.”

KFC UAE

Dubai now has its first ever multilingual AI powered order taker at a KFC drive-thru, operated by Americana Restaurants.

Fluent in both Arabic and English, the assistant is powered by Sodaclick and runs on Intel Core Ultra processors. According to those involved, it is delivering: up to 75% of customers saying yes to upsell suggestions, +8.5 AED average increase per order, and a faster, smoother, and more personalised drive-thru experience.

“Excited to share that we have launched the first multilingual conversational voice AI for a KFC drive-thru in the UAE, in collaboration with Intel Corporation and Americana Restaurants,” says Nina Mustafa, Business Development Manager at Sodaclick. “Huge thanks to the mighty and awesome team at Sodaclick, especially our marketing star Salwa Al-Tahan, and our visionary leaders Ihsan Jan and Ibrahim Jan.

Ocado Retail

Ocado Retail says that it has become the first UK grocer to scale packaging traceability through a partnership with Polytag, using UV invisible tag technologies with the aim of supporting a more transparent, data led recycling system.

The online grocery retailer’s roll-out  includes the full Ocado Retail milk range. The UV tags are invisible to customers but readable at material recovery facilities (MRFs) and supply Ocado Retail with accurate, item level data on where and when packaging is recycled.

The move builds on its position as a founding partner of Polytag’s Ecotrace Programme. In parallel, more than 100 of the pureplay’s own label products now feature Polytag QR codes that provide consumers with clear recycling instructions and sustainability information.

Through the programme, Polytag has installed a network of plastic detection units (PDUs) in high volume MRFs across the UK and Northern Ireland. These units are now capable of monitoring nearly 50% of the UK’s household recycling stream, detecting UV tagged items automatically and sharing live, verified data via the Polytag dashboard.

Currys

Vyntelligence, an agentic video intelligence work platform, reports what is pitched as a retail first partnership with omnichannel technology and electricals retailer Currys.

The tie up will allow integration of Vyn’s Video Intelligence Platform into Currys’ service delivery operations.

Based out of one of Europe’s largest tech repair centres, Currys engineers can now spot issues in advance, as each Vyn SmartVideoNote aims to improve first time fix rates, streamline workflows and reduce carbon footprint generated by unnecessary callout visits.

Customers can use video to show and describe any issues with their tech products. After initially speaking with the contact centre, they will receive a text linking to a report where they are prompted to record the issue and take a photo of the product serial number. As people submit their report, Vyn’s agentic AI tool will automatically summarise the key issues and share them with specialist repair technicians.

Instacart and Wegmans

Instacart, a grocery technology company in North America, has announced the launch of Caper Carts – its AI powered smart carts – at Wegmans Dewitt in Syracuse, New York. This marks the first deployment of Caper Carts at Wegmans.

Caper Carts automatically recognise items as they are dropped into the cart and customers can bag as they shop, tapping signals from an array of cameras, digital scale, and location sensors connected to NVIDIA Jetson hardware. Wegmans customers can login to their Shoppers Club account on the cart’s screen in order to shop this way.

“Caper Carts are transforming everyday grocery shopping into a faster, more personalised experience,” says David McIntosh, Chief Connected Stores Officer at Instacart. “We’re excited to partner with Wegmans - known for their exceptional customer and in-store experience - to bring this technology to their store. Together, we’re delivering customers a delightful and personalised shopping journey.”

The companies first partnered to offer same-day delivery in 2017, and have since expanded the partnership to include the likes of pickup, EBT SNAP acceptance, loyalty programme integration.

American Eagle Outfitters

American Eagle Outfitters has launched its Fall ‘25 campaign, headlined by actress Sydney Sweeney. The campaign, Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans, is pitched as “a return to essential denim dressing and a celebration of what the beloved brand does best: making customers look and feel good in AE jeans”.

The roll-out will be supported by 3D billboards where Sweeney will interact directly with passersby, a Snapchat lens where she speaks with Snapchatters and AI enabled try-on technology.

“This fall season, American Eagle is celebrating what makes our brand iconic - trendsetting denim that leads, never follows,” says Jennifer Foyle, President and Executive Creative Director - AE & Aerie.

“Innovative fits and endless versatility reflect how our community wears their denim: mixed, matched, layered and lived in. With Sydney Sweeney front and centre, she brings the allure, and we add the flawless wardrobe for the winning combo of ease, attitude and a little mischief.”

The Wholesale Group

Working with startup ShopAI, The Wholesale Group has created Jake AI, a solution that aims to help its independent wholesale members and supplier partners better compete in an increasingly complex marketplace.

“The wholesale industry has always been built on relationships, data, and quick decision-making, and with Jake AI, we’re taking this a step forward,” says Tom Gittins, Joint Managing Director at The Wholesale Group.

“Jake represents a fundamental shift in how our wholesale members can access and utilise their data. Unlike traditional business intelligence tools that require technical expertise, due to its advanced modern language models, it can be used conversationally to make it easier than ever before.”

Members and suppliers can ask Jake questions such as ‘What’s driving the margin decline in frozen foods this quarter?’ and receive immediate insights that would previously have taken hours of analysis. The solution analyses market trends, identifies promotional opportunities, and correlates sales patterns across the entire network of 255+ members.

Morrisons

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.

Carrefour

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!”

Company Shop Group

Dexory, which provides warehouse visibility and automation solutions, has announced a new strategic partnership with Company Shop Group (CSG), which claims to be the UK’s biggest redistributor and retailer of surplus products.

Dexory’s autonomous robots and AI powered platform will be used to drive improvements at CSG’s Barnsley warehouse, which manages inventory including surplus food, homeware, personal care, and pet categories.

The technology will be used to ensure CSG stock is stored in the correct locations, allowing for rapid issue resolution and to support dispatch operations using by-date priority lists and real-time views of dispatch pallets. 

Dexory’s robots can execute multiple autonomous scans each day, allowing CSG’s operational teams to act quickly to identify issues and implement training and improvement efforts.

Using Dexory’s solution, CSG says it is able to track stock with a level of accuracy and speed not previously possible. The technology has also freed up time for the stock control team, allowing them to focus on wider efficiency initiatives.