RTIH AI Awards Best Retailer Tech Supplier Relationship finalists announced

We’re pleased to announce the shortlist for the RTIH AI in Retail Awards Best Retailer/Technology Supplier Relationship of the Year category.

This award recognises a successful AI powered partnership between a retailer and a technology supplier, with an emphasis on the last 12 months and how said partnership has gone from strength to strength during that period.

Congratulations to all those who made it through the initial submission process. We received a huge number of impressive entries highlighting companies who not only recognise the potential of AI, but also make it usable in everyday work - resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.

It’s now over to our judging panel who will decide the winners to be announced at the RTIH AI in Retail Awards Ceremony, taking place  at The Barbican in Central London on Thursday, 29th January.

This will kick off with a drinks reception in the stunning Conservatory, followed by a three course meal, and awards ceremony in the Garden Room, presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Lucy Porter.

To book your place at the RTIH AI in Retail Awards Ceremony, click here.

Our runners and riders:

B&Q and Foundit!

Over the last 12 months, B&Q and FoundIt! have built a high trust, high velocity AI client/supplier partnership that has transformed how millions of customers shop DIY.

Phase one saw FoundIt! deploy generative, visual navigation on product detail pages to keep paid and organic landers on-site and reduce “bounce back to Google.” This pilot rapidly expanded to generative navigation across 21,000+ PLPs and 250,000+ SRPs, turning overwhelming choice into intuitive journeys.

Together, the teams have since rolled out AI experiences across web, apps and internal databases, repeatedly proving the relationship’s ability to deliver fast, material impact at scale.

Currys and Quorso

Currys partnered with Quorso to launch a new tool called ‘Action AI’ in its stores. The award winning, patented smart platform helps store teams work more efficiently and saves time by making important data easier for managers to find and understand.

Quorso is a pioneer of a new approach to store operations. The implementation of its Intelligent Management Platform was supported by the Currys team’s outstanding change management programme, utilising teaser trailers, pilot user videos, inspiring training and strong advocacy across all levels of the organisation.

By initially focusing on sales, customer and colleague missions, Action AI quickly proved itself as a genuine sales driving tool that the store teams loved using daily. Continuous user feedback shaped the product roadmap, giving store teams ownership and driving widespread engagement and value.

By directing attention to the areas with the greatest customer and colleague impact, the roll-out of Action AI created a clear line of sight between actions taken and outcomes achieved. The project continues to be a great success with store engagement consistently at 100%.

Debenhams Group and Peak

Peak’s partnership with Debenhams Group revolutionised its approach to pricing through AI powered optimisation. Leveraging Peak’s Pricing AI application, the retailer - starting with with PLT and BoohooMAN, and expanding to Boohoo, Karen Millen and Debenhams - transitioned from manual, conventional pricing to a sophisticated, strategic, data led process.

This initiative delivered significant operational efficiency gains. It reduced stock overhang and improved customer experiences. With a scalable, line level pricing model powered by AI, Debenhams Group is now equipped to make more value optimised decisions for every product. This has empowered teams, enhanced commercial performance and positioned it as a digitally driven retail leader.

Habitium, AWS and Apser

Managing a catalogue of over a million products from more than 1,000 suppliers posed major operational challenges for Habitium.

Each item required manual data entry, translation, classification, and content optimisation across multiple languages and markets, an extremely time-consuming process prone to errors and inconsistencies.

As the company set ambitious growth goals, including global expansion and scaling new sales channels, it became evident that its existing workflows were unsustainable. Furthermore, the technical team was small and internal resources were limited, making traditional development approaches unviable. Habitium needed a fast, reliable, and scalable solution to automate its processes while maintaining high content and brand quality.

Petstop and Galvia

Galvia is a domain specific AI platform built for the fast paced, complex world of retail. Unlike generic AI providers, Galvia delivers connected intelligence that transforms data into real-time, retail-ready insights, forecasts and real-time prompts for action.

By creating one trusted view across sales, customers, and operations, Galvia helps teams make faster, smarter decisions. With retail clients like Petstop, Galvia has demonstrated how AI can drive revenue, improve efficiency, and spark a cultural shift. The platform empowers staff at all levels by surfacing actionable insights and removing data silos. Galvia is not just a technology supplier; it is a strategic partner helping retailers thrive with AI.

Southern Co-op and SymphonyAI

Southern Co-op transformed its retail operations by replacing 15-year-old Excel-based systems with SymphonyAI's unified platform.

The company now efficiently manages assortment and space planning, tailoring product ranges to local shopper preferences. Key improvements include streamlined workflows eliminating constant system switching, rapid insights for better decision-making, and automated new product introductions that cascade across multiple store planograms in clicks.

Team productivity increased through better user experience and simplified processes. Phased implementation with coaching support ensured a smooth transition, with early adopters helping later users. SymphonyAI's ongoing collaboration and expertise continue unlocking value, accelerating Southern Co-op's ability to impact profitability and achieve business goals.