Including Circle K, Co-op, and Walmart: last week’s biggest technology plays at a glance

RTIH rounds up the stand out retail systems deals, launches, deployments and pilots from the past seven days. Including checkout free locations in sports venues, AI powered skin analysis and personalised product recommendation experiences, dropshipping programmes, returns solutions, and planogram data initiatives.

Amazon

Amazon reports the largest single venue deployment of its Just Walk Out technology to date.

This will see Tennessee Titans’ new Nissan Stadium become the first NFL stadium to go frictionless across all 40+ concession locations with Just Walk Out technology.

In a LinkedIn post, Amazon said: “We are setting a new standard for sports retail innovation. What this means for Titans fans: More time cheering, less time waiting in lines; Seamless shopping powered by advanced computer vision and AI; Grab what you need and get back to the action - no traditional checkout required.”

It added: “This comprehensive partnership transforms every retail touchpoint and demonstrates the future of frictionless fan experiences. Congratulations to the Tennessee Titans on this groundbreaking partnership. We can't wait to see this technology enhance game day for fans when the new Nissan Stadium opens in 2027.”

Walmart

Walmart Connect Mexico has announced what is pitched as the world’s largest in-store audience intelligence roll-out, deploying thousands of AI sensors across hundreds of Walmart hypermarkets. It says that this marks the first time real-time audience measurement and audience-based activation are being scaled at this level inside physical retail.

Walmart Connect Mexico has selected Advertima to power this initiative. Each sensor captures the shop floor in 3D over distances exceeding 30 metres and supports multi-3D zoning, allowing a single sensor to inform multiple digital and non-digital media touchpoints in parallel.

It is claimed that this approach makes it possible to cover all relevant in-store media assets across hundreds of Walmart Supercenters with thousands of audience sensors, a critical requirement given the size, layout, and operational complexity of Walmart’s hypermarket environments.

AF Blakemore & Son

Logile, a provider of AI driven workforce and store operations solutions, reports AF Blakemore & Son has chosen its Labour Planning suite to unify its workforce management and standardise labour practices across its retail operations.

AF Blakemore, which operates more than 240 SPAR stores and serves over 900 communities through its wholesale network across England and Wales, signed an agreement with Logile in September and has recently begun initial implementation.

“We had a limited and very manual approach to managing labour consistently across our estate, which meant we weren’t always achieving our goal of having the right people doing the right things at the right times,” says John Gallifant, Head of Central Operations at AF Blakemore.

“Logile gives us the clarity and control to make better decisions, align labour with key business metrics, and ultimately create a consistent and exceptional experience for both our customers and our teams.”

Before partnering with Logile, AF Blakemore relied on a manual, Excel-based labour model that lacked the sophistication to account for business seasonality, evolving store formats and performance trends. It can now link labour decisions directly to operational data, improving accuracy and accountability at every level.

PHOENIX Pharma Italia

Perfect Corp. is powering a new in-store digital initiative in the pharmacy sector through a partnership with PHOENIX Pharma Italia.

Customers visiting Italian BENU parapharmacy of Citylife in Milano, part of the PHOENIX Pharma Italia Group, can now access an AI powered skin analysis and personalised product recommendation experience.

PHOENIX Pharma Italia plans to expand the solution to additional pharmacies and says it will continue exploring ways to integrate digital services into its retail ecosystem. Future developments include CRM integration and enhancements designed to support the evolving expectations of customers.

Customers can access the experience in BENU parapharmacy through smart, illuminated mirrors provided by Inovshop. With a facial scan, Perfect Corp.’s Skincare Pro solution analyses several facial features and identifies eight skin concerns including spots, wrinkles, acne, redness, eye bags, dark circles, radiance, firmness as well as the skin type.

The results are delivered on an iPad interface and paired with personalised suggestions drawn from more than 200 skincare products from major brands integrated into the recommendation system.

Circle K

Quorso has announced the expansion of its partnership with Circle K to over 7,800 locations in the United States and Canada after a deployment across its European network last year. 

Quorso says that its Intelligent Management platform eliminates the complexity and overwhelm of too much data, too many tasks, and too many systems.

“Building on the success of our prior roll-out in Europe and a successful pilot in North America, we’re pleased to expand Quorso across our US and Canadian networks,” says Hélène Drolet, Vice President of Operational Excellence, North America at Circle K.

“This powerful tool is helping our store managers save time, act on data driven insights, and identify opportunities that make the biggest difference for our customers and our business. We’re looking forward to Quorso helping our store teams to enhance the in-store experience, deliver on our commitment to be fast, friendly, and customer ready and, ultimately, unlock new growth for our business.”

Melbourne Cricket Ground

Boxing Day saw both an England-Australia Ashes Test match and the launch of two new Zippin powered checkout-free stores at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, bringing the total at the venue to four.

In a LinkedIn post, Zippin said: “With a record crowd at the 'G of 94,199 at day one of the Boxing Day Test, we also saw nearly 28,000 shoppers conveniently use a checkout-free store powered by Zippin. What an incredible growth in this partnership. Here’s to more seamless, contactless experiences at the 'G!”

Co-op

VST has announced a new partnership with Co-op to give the convenience retailer’s branded suppliers direct access to its planogram data through its Planogram Publisher platform.

This will be trialled for four weeks with five suppliers, and then rolled out across the Co-op supplier estate. It comes from the retailer’s newly formed Group Commercial and Logistics division.

“For years, planogram data has been an underused asset in retail,” says Nick Theodore, CEO and Founder, VST. “We’re excited to announce our launch of Planogram Publisher in partnership with Co-op. It’s a big step forward in making Co-op’s planogram data available to their most strategic CPG partners to unlock category growth across their stores.”

Tom Bradley, Commercial Director, Co-op, says: “As the leading UK convenience retailer, our aim is to run the best small shops providing quality products and great value for our members and customers, and to do that we need cutting edge processes and data access behind the shelf edge.”

“This new partnership will give brands direct sight of planogram data which will   remove friction, and create transparency, enabling smarter conversations and more agile execution.”

East of England Co-op

Pricer reports completion of its first pilot installation of Pricer Avenue, a communications platform delivering shelf-edge digital experiences, in partnership with East of England Co-op, a 120-store grocery retailer operating in the UK.

The pilot was deployed across high value in-store zones and builds on East of England Co-op’s use of Pricer electronic shelf labels (ESLs).

Pricer Avenue adds a larger format displays, powered shelf-edge layer that extends ESL functionality beyond pricing, with the aim of supporting clearer communication, more effective promotions, and richer in-aisle communication at the point of decision.

“Avenue is bringing new energy to our key promotional areas. It’s a big step toward delivering a store experience that’s ready for the future,” says Rob Smith, Technology Officer at East of England Co-op.

“The new shared Floating Canvas feature opens up fresh ways to talk to customers. It lets us highlight specific products, deliver rich brand storytelling and drive promotional engagement - right at the shelf edge.”

Infosys and AWS

Infosys and Amazon Web Services have shaken hands on a deal to integrate the former’s AI platform Topaz with the latter’s generative AI powered assistant Amazon Q Developer.

The move, according to the pair, will enhance Infosys' internal operations and drive innovation for customers across sectors such as manufacturing, telecom, financial services, and consumer goods.

Infosys is tapping Topaz to drive AI powered enhancements across key functions, such as software development, HR, recruitment, sales, and vendor management. For example, in the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC), the integration of Topaz with Amazon Q Developer enables automated documentation and provides tailored support for tasks like code generation, debugging, testing, and legacy code modernisation.

Sandeep Dutta, President, Amazon Web Services (AWS) India and South Asia, says: "Infosys is setting a new benchmark for enterprise transformation through the strategic adoption of generative AI at scale.”

“The combined strengths of Amazon Q and Infosys Topaz will help organisations innovate, achieve operational agility, and unlock differentiated value for their clients. Through this collaboration, Infosys and AWS are committed to delivering solutions rooted in technical excellence and tailored to address the unique demands of global industries."

Lane Bryant

Rithum has announced a partnership with Lane Bryant, a specialist in women’s apparel and intimates.

Lane Bryant will join its Commerce Solutions network to launch a dropshipping programme, with the aim of unlocking new opportunities for US-based brand partners to list, sell, and fulfill directly on its website.

This will be powered by Rithum’s full stack commerce infrastructure. Its platform will enable participating brands to integrate into Lane Bryant’s e-commerce experience without the burden of building one off connections or managing manual workflows.

“Retailers today need flexibility to test and expand assortments without taking on inventory risk,” says Steve Davis, AVP of Footwear/Accessories & Dropship Development at Lane Bryant. “Our partnership with Rithum allows us to strengthen our e-commerce ecosystem while giving our customers broader access to products they love.”

Muscle Republic

Muscle Republic has partnered with Refundid to power its new returns solution, meaning that it can now offer its customers instant refunds and exchanges.

In a LinkedIn post, Matt Thurin, Head of Commercial at Refundid, said: “Utilising our full returns portal means their customers have the ultimate post-purchase experience, choosing either an instant refund, instant exchange, normal refund, normal exchange or store credit.”

“Working with the team has been an absolute joy. We were even given an inside look into the magic that happens in their warehouse.. during peak. We're looking forward to building on our partnership and excited about what's ahead.”

ShopAgentic

Alexander Ringsdorff and Kai-Thomas Krause have announced the launch of agentic commerce system specialist ShopAgentic.

In a LinkedIn post, Ringsdorff said: "I’m beyond excited to announce a reunion that’s been years in the making: Kai-Thomas Krause is joining me as Co-Founder of ShopAgentic, the agentic commerce system."

"Kai and I actually started working together way back in 2010, when we were responsible for major Magento launches at Visions new media across Europe. From there, we co-founded CouchCommerce, which had a successful exit, and then, together with Stephan Schambach and an amazing team, we co-founded NewStore."

He concluded: "After a few years on different paths, Kai having brought his expertise to commercetools, we’re thrilled to be teaming up once more. This time, it’s an AI first company, and I couldn’t be happier to have such a trusted partner onboard. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come with ShopAgentic."