Safety first for Sainsbury's and Facewatch: RTIH brings you this week's biggest retail technology stories

It's Friday, the weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail systems space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from the past few days, including BIPA, Walmart, TalkShopLIve, Starbucks, NomadGo, Zyntrix, M&S Food, Ocado, Mulberry England, Asos, and TrusTrace.

1. Milestone as drugstore retailer BIPA takes wraps off Haidi AI powered store employees assistant

REWE Group owned BIPA, a drugstore retailer in Austria, has launched Haidi, an AI assistant for its employees.

In a LinkedIn post, Alexander Huber, Head of Digital Business Hub at REWE International, said: "Milestone reached! As the first company in Austria, we at BIPA together with the REWE International Cloud Team and Google Cloud, have developed a revolutionary AI assistant that makes internal knowledge accessible to all store employees."

"What makes Haidi special? Natural language input - questions like in a normal conversation; Multilingual - German, English, Turkish, Hungarian; Intelligent answers - No hit lists, but coherent solutions; Immediate help - From exchange processes to BIPA benefits; Data protection compliant - Secure on Google Cloud infrastructure."

He concluded: "What makes me particularly proud: the idea came from the team, the implementation was real co-creation. New colleagues in particular benefit enormously - Haidi democratises knowledge and makes it so much easier to get started. A big thank you to everyone who thought, tested and made possible."

2. 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.”

3. Asos taps TrusTrace supply chain tech as part of updated Fashion with Integrity programme

TrusTrace has announced a partnership with Asos that aims to enhance the fast fashion online retailer’s supply chain transparency and resilience, strengthen risk management, and support compliance across its global value chain.

As part of its Fashion with Integrity strategy, Asos says it is investing in robust traceability infrastructure to gain real-time visibility into its supply chain, down to farm level (Tier 5).

By integrating TrusTrace’s AI enhanced platform, it is looking to streamline operations across risk, compliance, and impact management, ensuring timely access to trusted data that enables proactive decision-making, due diligence and compliance.

“Our partnership with TrusTrace is a key milestone in our updated Fashion with Integrity programme,” says Elena Martínez Ortiz, EVP of Product at Asos. “TrusTrace enables us to improve product traceability, helping us meet compliance standards, understand and address risks, and boost resilience in our supply chain by supporting our suppliers to implement improvements.”

4. Sainsbury's partners with Facewatch to deploy facial recognition technology across its stores

Sainsbury's is testing out facial recognition technology in its stores in a bid to tackle an increase in shoplifting, anti-social behaviour and violence.

It has kicked off an eight-week trial in two stores. "The retail sector is at a crossroads, facing rising abuse, anti-social behaviour and violence," says Sainsbury's Chief Executive Simon Roberts. "We must put safety first."

The UK grocery giant is working with Facewatch on the initiative and is now using the technology at a store in London and another in Bath ahead of a potential nationwide roll-out.

Madeleine Stone, Senior Advocacy Officer at BigBrotherWatch, comments: "Sainsbury's decision to trial Orwellian facial recognition technology in its stores is deeply disproportionate and chilling. It should abandon this trial and the government must urgently step in to prevent the unchecked spread of this invasive technology."

5. NomadGo brings Inventory AI solution to more than 11,000 Starbucks locations in North America

NomadGo reports deployment of its Inventory AI solution in more than 11,000 Starbucks locations across North America.

The technology combines computer vision, 3D spatial intelligence, and augmented reality to automate inventory counting using smartphones and tablets.

Inventory AI recognises and counts items, such as milk jugs or coffee bags, while overlaying real-time data using augmented reality for instant validation. NomadGo runs directly on the handheld device, enabling responsiveness even without a network connection.

Starbucks is integrating this into all company owned and operated coffeehouses across North America by the end of September. “This technology streamlines a critical but time-intensive task,” says Deb Hall Lefevre, Starbucks Chief Technology Officer. “With faster, more accurate inventory counts, our partners can spend more time focusing on what matters: crafting high quality beverages and connecting with customers.”

6. Tom Hill takes on CEO role at Zyntrix following Director of Digital role at Poundland and Dealz

Tom Hill has been appointed CEO by Zyntrix, a FinTech firm that aims to unify loyalty, Open Banking and digital ID into one seamless customer experience.

He was previously Director of Digital at Poundland & Dealz.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: “I’m delighted to share that last month, after a relatively short (but incredible) break, I stepped into a new chapter of my career as CEO of Zyntrix.”

“Over the past 20 years, I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the biggest and best brands in retail and hospitality - leading operations, customer experience, business development and transformation strategy, across both physical and digital estates. Along the way, I’ve learnt a huge amount from some brilliant people - insights I look forward to leveraging as I enter this new and exciting chapter.”

He added: “At Zyntrix, we have a simple but ambitious mission: to unify loyalty, Open Banking and digital ID into one seamless customer experience. We’ve worked hard to develop a product that enables businesses, through their existing or new loyalty programmes, and e-commerce platforms, to: Supercharge loyalty with exclusive, unique and instant rewards; Cut transaction costs dramatically across multiple sectors via Open Banking; Remove friction at the checkout, including automated ID verification for age restricted sales.”

7. M&S Food marks five years since Ocado launch by splashing carrier bag on delivery vans

Time flies and all that…It’s been five years since M&S Food launched on Ocado and competition was duly ramped up in the crowded UK online groceries market.

In 2019, Marks & Spencer inked a 50-50 JV deal with Ocado to sell M&S groceries via the separate entity Ocado Retail. The former says that the move has given it a new platform to demonstrate the breadth and value of its range to new family customers and leverage its buying scale, through volume growth.

Ocado Retail, meanwhile, has increased capacity by over 50% since the aforementioned investment and new customer fulfilment centres have opened in locations including Bristol, Purfleet and Andover.

In a LInkedIn post, Alex Freudmann, Managing Director at M&S Food, said: “It’s exactly five years since M&S Food launched on Ocado. To celebrate, we’ve turned our iconic carrier bag into an Ocado van! Look out for more of them making deliveries near you.”

He added: “Ocado now services 80% of UK households and combines the tech and logistics prowess of Ocado with the magic of M&S Food. It’s the only place you can buy M&S Food online. Thank you Hannah Gibson (CEO at Ocado Retail) for the first five years and here’s to our exciting joint growth plans for the next five.”

8. Central Co-op, Lincolnshire, Midcounties co-operatives tap SymphonyAI Connected Retail platform

SymphonyAI reports that Central Co-op, Lincolnshire, and Midcounties co-operatives have deployed its Connected Retail platform in a bid to modernise operations, localise assortments, and enhance the member experience across more than 700 stores serving over 1.3 million shoppers.

Using generative and predictive AI, this delivers real-time intelligence across inventory management, shelf execution, and supply chain operations.

“With SymphonyAI’s range and space planning, we can quickly adjust our assortments to meet changing member shopper preferences while automating labour intensive tasks to allow our teams to focus on delivering exceptional service,” says Jacob Isherwood, CIO, Midcounties Co-op.

“Our priority is to keep shelves stocked with the right products, reduce waste, and minimise overhead costs. With SymphonyAI’s platform, we’re able to enhance our operational efficiency and meet the evolving needs of our shoppers,” says Steve Leach, COO, Lincolnshire Co-op.

9. Former Reebok and adidas exec Tom Burrow joins Mulberry England as Chief Customer and Digital Officer

Tom Burrow has joined Mulberry England as Chief Customer and Digital Officer. 

“Mulberry is an iconic lifestyle brand that I’ve admired for years, and I’m honoured to now be part of shaping its future,” he says.

Burrow was previously Chief Digital Officer at END. His CV also includes stints at Reebok (Vice President Digital Brand Commerce), adidas Group (Senior Director Digital Experience & Optimisation - Digital Brand Commerce), and Umbro (Head of Digital).

10. Collector's Night launches on Walmart Live today in TalkShopLive WeTheHobby tie up

TalkShopLive is powering Walmart’s new weekly series, Collector’s Night, streaming exclusively on Walmart Live, and beginning Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.

Presented in partnership with WeTheHobby, a sports card and collectibles community in the US, the series will every Thursday deliver live box breaks, surprise giveaways, and exclusive drops.

“Collectibles represent a critical and exciting area of investment and growth for Walmart,” says Mayank Hajela, GM Collectibles, Walmart U.S. “With demand continuing to surge, we’re committed to building experiences that not only serve collectors but redefine what they expect from us. Collector’s Night is a powerful step forward in making Walmart a true destination for this growing category.”