2025 RTIH Innovation Awards finalists assemble!: our biggest retail tech articles on LinkedIn

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 past the 25,000 followers mark, these are the articles that are currently on their radars, including Reward, Hawes & Curtis, RTS 2026, Xpand, Shopopop, Lobyco, Emfas, East of England Co-op, and VusionGroup.

Hawes & Curtis joins Reward platform linking customer spend data with contextual insights

Reward, a customer engagement platform, has announced a new partnership with British retail brand Hawes & Curtis.

Using Reward’s first party data and banking partnerships, Hawes & Curtis says it will be able to reward existing customers while also reaching new audiences. 

The former uses customer spend data and contextual insights to predict consumer behaviour and deliver personalised campaigns. It can also link marketing exposure to real purchases. 

2025 RTIH Innovation Awards: finalists revealed, winners to be announced next month

We're pleased to present the finalists and shortlists for the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards, sponsored by Vista Technology Support, STRATACACHE, 3D Cloud, EdTech Innovation Hub, and Retail Technology Show.

We received a record number of entries this year and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.

Congratulations to all those who made it through the initial submission process!

In-depth breakdowns of each category and the shortlisted submissions will be published on this site over the next few days, starting tomorrow with Bricks and Mortar Innovation, Supply Chain Innovation, Payments Innovation, and Most Innovative UK Retailer.

It’s now over to our judging panel who will decide the winners to be announced at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, taking place  at The HAC in Central London.

The event will be held on Thursday, 16th October and consist of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

Book your place at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony on Thursday, 16th October here.

Retail Technology Show returns to ExCel London in 2026 with a disco themed event

Retail Technology Show has unveiled its theme for RTS 2026. This will see the good times rolling in London on 22nd–23rd April with a disco themed retail gathering.

The announcement follows the exhibition/conference’s debut at its new home, ExCeL London, in April earlier this year. With a funfair theme, RTS 2025 welcomed over 14,000 retail professionals - a +11% increase on the previous year - and delivered its biggest ever tech showcase of 438 leading solution providers.

Matt Bradley, Event Director at RTS, comments: “Off the back of an incredibly successful first event in our new home, London ExCeL, RTS 2026 is already shaping up to be bigger, bolder and better.  With a new theme, but the same incredible energy that unites the sector, we can’t wait to bring the funk, flair and future of retail to life as we look ahead to next year’s show.” 

“As RTS continues to grow and build on each year’s success, our ecosystem of key strategic and trusted partnerships is the bedrock of that continued momentum,” Bradley adds.

Xpand and CAMPO Group team on launch of autonomous convenience store in Vienna, Austria

Xpand (formerly known as 1MRobotics) has announced the opening of its first European store in Vienna, the capital of Austria.

Located next to Mariahilferstraße, this is the result of a first collaboration with CAMPO Group, a robotics and AI automation platform provider.

It brings Xpand's “store-in-a-box” technology to consumers, offering a full convenience assortment of ambient, chilled, and frozen goods. Powered by AI, robotics, and real-time inventory management, the unmanned store promises frictionless, 24/7 shopping with zero labour and full loss prevention.

The opening follows a funding round led by Ibex Investors and Emerge, with participation from Xpand's leadership team, including CEO Joel Bar-El. The cash will support global expansion.

"Opening our first international store in Vienna marks a pivotal moment in our mission to make autonomous retail accessible worldwide," says Bar-El. "This store demonstrates how our AI driven technology transforms the retail experience while maximising operational efficiency."

Channel Islands Co-operative Society enlists Lobyco for launch of new loyalty membership app

Lobyco has secured a new multi-year partnership with the Channel Islands Co-operative Society (CI Coop).

This will see the introduction of a new membership app that combines rewards, tailored offers, and interactive features such as games.

Anders Mittag, Chief Commercial Officer at Lobyco, says: “We’re proud to partner with CI Coop, a retailer with strong roots in its communities and a clear focus on delivering value to its members. Together, we’re introducing a new loyalty app that goes well beyond traditional points and discounts.”

“With engaging features, we’re creating a more interactive and rewarding experience that strengthens the connection between the Coop and its members. This partnership is a great example of how we can combine local values with Lobyco’s expertise in digital engagement to make loyalty simple, fun, and impactful.”

Crowdshipping firm Shopopop adds former Auchan Retail GM Philippe Brochard to team

European co-delivery service, Shopopop, has brought in Philippe Brochard, former GM at Auchan Retail, as a member of its strategic committee.

Shopopop focuses on collaborative logistics, based on helping and sharing. People take advantage of their daily journeys to pick up their shopping from a drive through or store and deliver it to their home. In exchange for doing so, they earn a few euros.

In a LInkedIn post, Antoine Truong, Head of International Expansion at Shopopop, said: “With an amazing background at Auchan Retail, Alstom and Renault Group, Philippe is one of the brightest people I have ever met in the retail industry.”

“He has the ability to move with agility, to tackle transformation challenges, translate them into operational execution, all while keeping human and environmental impact as guiding principles Happy to count him as part of the close team.”

He added: “Grateful to the entire Shopopop team and thanks to Philippe for your trust and support. It’s not the end of the journey but a step toward our destination. Becoming the largest community platform in Europe to help serve customers with local delivery.”

Alena Turner returns to xRobotics as CMO as she taps back into fast pace of startup life

xRobotics has announced the appointment of Alena Turner as Chief Marketing Officer.

In a LinkedIn post, she said: “OK, let’s make it official! I’ve rejoined my favourite team on earth - xRobotics - as Chief Marketing Officer. Some of you might remember I was part of the xRobotics family back when our (now legendary) xPizza Cube was just a prototype.”

“I led marketing and sales for over three years, and we grew from zero to dozens of clients during that time. Those were such fun times! Everything felt possible - and with hard work, attention to detail (and coffee, lots of coffee), it really was.”

She added: “Then came a job offer I couldn’t refuse - a true once in a lifetime opportunity. I became CEO and a board member at Dodo Brands (1,400+ stores worldwide), one of the most innovative tech driven companies in the restaurant industry. One of its brands, Dodo Pizza, is now among the top seven largest pizza chains in the world - and the fastest growing.”

“Was it challenging? Absolutely. Eye opening? Without a doubt. I saw firsthand how the restaurant business is changing, and how profit margins are shrinking for those who aren’t adopting new technology. My team and I became huge advocates for innovation.”

“We transformed operations with automation, both in the front and back of the house. I’ll never forget what one of our franchise partners texted me: “If I were to start this business now, I wouldn’t even consider doing it without automation.”

AI powered e-commerce technology startup Emfas bags funding from angel investors

Emfas, which connects with e-commerce platforms to unlock AI powered workflows across their product catalogues, has completed a funding round, securing an undisclosed amount from a group of angel investors.

In a LinkedIn post, the company said: “Our mission is simple but ambitious: to help e-commerce brands automate their product catalogues with AI. As Co-Founder and CEO Vidar Trojenborg put it: Just as Shopify solved how to easily create online stores, we want to solve the operational complexity of managing product catalogues - fully powered by AI."

It added: “We’re already partnering with leading brands such as Represent, aim'n, Nudie Jeans, OUR LEGACY and Widforss. A huge thank you to our team, partners, and early adopters who are shaping the future of e-commerce with us.”

East of England Co-op brings in Ben Grover with aim of driving growth at Co-op Secure Response business

The East of England Co-op has appointed Ben Grover as Business Development Manager for its security business, Co-op Secure Response.

He joins from Klipspringer, where he delivered projects including audit compliance solutions through temperature monitoring technology.

Grover comments: “I’m very excited to take on this role, I’ve been involved in a number of businesses from a sales perspective, and I consider myself a very client focused individual, experienced in maintaining great relationships both internally and externally. I’m looking forward to the challenge of supporting Co-op Secure Response to be one of the leading and most trusted security providers in the UK.”

Co-op Secure Response provides tailored security and monitoring services across multiple industries, both the UK and Europe. It partners with organisations to help them with risk reduction, people protection, loss prevention and increased compliance.

Many retailers using AI assistants to help store teams manage routine tasks

A new report from consultancy Bain & Company and VusionGroup, which provides data solutions for retailers, has highlighted how AI powered technology is reshaping physical stores, as retailers expect to see large-scale transformations.

The researchers surveyed 66 leaders from 250 top retailers and found that 75% of executives are planning a large scale store transformation in the next two years and 44% said they expect their store technology investments to improve their bottom line by 1.5 percentage points or more.

The survey also found that 50% of retailers are using AI assistants to help store teams manage routine tasks such as inventory checks and price errors as well as training and equipment troubleshooting. 

Priorities for retailers include improving product availability (56%), price integrity (53%) and better customer engagement (45%).