2025 RTIH Innovation Awards Best Retailer/Technology Supplier relationship finalists

We’re pleased to announce the shortlist for the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards Best Retailer/Technology Supplier Relationship category.

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!

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.

Our 2025 runners and riders as follows:

BoxBar Tech and Rock N Roll Circus Sheffield

Boxbar Tech’s partnership with Rock N Roll Circus Sheffield hit new heights in 2025 with the launch of a brand new high volume solution: the Boxbar Container Bar.

Designed to deliver scalability for major events, these units debuted during the summer and transformed the Rock N Roll Circus experience. With two Container Bars alongside upgraded 3-Bank Units, the festival served thousands of customers at record speed - two pints in just 25 seconds - while virtually eliminating queues.

Daily average revenues from self-serve bars rose by 194% compared with 2024, and ROI more than doubled to 851%, redefining festival bar service for the modern era.

Everseen and Tesco

Tesco has deployed its first ever AI application in partnership with Everseen— to tackle the challenge of retail shrink. Building on its history of customer innovation and digital transformation, the partnership represents a milestone for Tesco in high impact AI deployment at scale.

By combining its customer first approach with Everseen’s proven computer vision technology, the roll-out has delivered measurable results: reducing loss, empowering colleagues, and preserving shopper trust. Together, the companies are redefining how UK retailers can protect margins while keeping checkout fast, easy, and reliable.

Retail247 and Piglet in Bed

The partnership between Retail247 and Piglet in Bed is built on trust, shared ambition and a passion for innovation. Piglet in Bed, a young brand with extraordinary growth, needed a partner who could match its pace and vision.

Through Retail247’s PIM solution, Origin, Piglet in Bed transformed the way it manages and launches products, reducing setup times by 65% and unlocking expansion opportunities. Now deploying Archean, Retail247’s stock and order management solution, the relationship has deepened into a true collaboration.

This partnership demonstrates how technology, combined with genuine retail expertise, can empower a brand to flourish and grow sustainably.

Retail Response and New Look

Retail Response is trusted by some of the UK's largest retailers to provide consistently reliable and inexpensive store systems support services.

This spring, the company completed the roll-out of a new retail system across New Look's entire store estate. The upgrade means that New Look stores now operate a simplified and faster system which is already transforming the in-store experience for both customers and staff.

Tata Consultancy Services and Asda

As part of a strategic divestiture, Asda embarked on the journey to efficiently migrate and modernise more than 350+ retail legacy applications from the infrastructure of its former parent company. Given the stringent timeline, potential financial penalties, and the need for uninterrupted service, the customer collaborated TCS to ensure a smooth transition to a future ready cloud environment.

Leveraging the in-house extensive modernisation expertise, TCS effectively managed a comprehensive assessment, move group planning, ways of working, engineering standards, and migration process from start to finish.

In addition to meeting deadlines, the initiative enhanced agility, minimised technical debt, laid out the engineering practices and positioned the customer for sustained scalability, and IT independence.

Tesco and LiveRamp

Tesco and LiveRamp have turned the Tesco Clubcard into a revenue driving powerhouse: an omnichannel marketing asset that is reshaping how brands connect with UK shoppers.

What began as a technology partnership has evolved into a strategic collaboration that powers planning, activation, and transparent measurement across Tesco’s entire ecosystem and beyond. Today, consumer packed goods (CPGs) can reach 23 million households with precision, accountability, and real-time optimisation, delivering proven sales impact and stronger customer engagement.

Trust Retail and John Bell & Croydon

Trust Payments expanded its Pennies micro-donation technology partnership to John Bell & Croyden, London's historic Royal Warrant holding pharmacy established in 1798.

Building on the award winning deployment at Well Pharmacy, Trust Retail developed a bespoke solution featuring variable donation amounts based on transaction values, recognising the premium nature of purchases at the prestigious Wigmore Street location. The seamless integration supports MND Association whilst demonstrating Trust Payments' commitment to flexible, community focused payment solutions.

This expansion showcases how established retailer technology partnerships can evolve and adapt to serve diverse business models whilst maintaining charitable impact.

Varner, Sitoo and Zebra Technologies

Some partnerships are transactional. Others are transformational. Over the past 12 months, Varner, Scandinavia’s largest fashion retailer with over 1,200 stores, has empowered store associates by enabling the Sitoo PoS app on Zebra Technologies mobile devices, allowing teams to serve customers directly on the floor.

Associates embraced the technology and capabilities already available, requiring no extra training, and this simple addition has improved flexibility, efficiency, and customer engagement. It’s not just the technology, it’s the people and partnership behind it that made this roll-out smooth and effective.

This initiative demonstrates how empowering staff with the right tools and support can elevate the in-store experience

Vista Technology Support and WHSmith

WHSmith embarked on a major digital transformation by upgrading its legacy copper network to fibre, enabling a modern SD-WAN infrastructure across 635 stores. Each site presented unique challenges - from listed high street buildings to complex transport hubs - requiring bespoke planning and coordination with internet service providers.

Vista Technology Support's team tailored solutions store-by-store, navigating tight operational windows and strict safety protocols. Innovation lay in its flexible, scalable design and adaptive pricing model, which exceeded expectations. The result: significantly improved connectivity, future ready infrastructure, and a delighted customer who praised Vista'sagility, precision, and shared efficiencies.

VoCoVo and Currys

Currys partnered with retail communication specialist VoCoVo to implement its Series 5 Pro Headset across each of its UK&I stores, which has allowed teams to stay better connected, improve the experience being delivered to customers and enhance staff safety on the shop floor.

Since implementation as part of the store’s largest annual investment in store safety features, Currys has experienced a 58% reduction in reported aggressive thefts, compared to the year before. Additionally, in the final eight weeks of FY24/25, there were just eight incidents of aggressive theft, down from 19 the previous year.