Evri tests out two-legged delivery robot in Barnsley: last week’s biggest retail technology plays
RTIH rounds up the stand out retail technology deals, launches, deployments and pilots from the past seven days. Including OpenAI, Walmart, JD Sports, Stüssy, Woolworths Group, Lincolnshire Co-op, JB Hi-Fi, Vusion, Morrisons, StrongPoint ALS, VoCoVo, Iceland Foods, Healthy Options, THG Fulfil, and AutoStore.
Evri
Evri has launched what is pitched as Europe's first trial of a two-legged autonomous delivery robot, bringing the technology to Barnsley, the UK's first government backed Tech Town.
The trial, in partnership with Japan-based Refined Robotics, will explore how robotics can support couriers, enhance customer choice and help shape the future of parcel delivery.
The two-legged robot has been designed specifically for outdoor last mile deliveries. It can carry parcels weighing up to 15kg, travel at speeds of up to 6km/h and navigate real-world environments that can be challenging for traditional autonomous technologies, including climbing stairs, traversing uneven surfaces and entering and exiting delivery vans.
The robot can operate autonomously or be remotely monitored and is capable of both attended and unattended deliveries to help ensure consumers never miss a parcel. Throughout the trial, Evri will evaluate how the technology performs in residential environments and how it could support operational efficiency while maintaining the high levels of service customers expect.
OpenAI and Walmart
A dress spotted on social media, an outfit for an autumn wedding or a new style to try: OpenAI is adding tools to ChatGPT that let shoppers move from an idea to an image of themselves wearing it, with Walmart among the retailers involved from launch.
The new Virtual Try On and Favorites features allow users to visualise clothing and accessories using their own photographs, then save products to return to later. Shoppers can describe what they want, upload an image of an item or use a screenshot as the starting point for a search.
Walmart is bringing its fashion range into the experience. Daniel Danker, EVP AI Acceleration, Product, and Design, said on LinkedIn that the US retail giant was working with OpenAI “from day one” to make its fashion available through Virtual Try On, Shop this Look and Favourites.
Sharing an example himself, he added: “Found something I like. Think I should I buy it?”
Morrisons
Morrisons has launched a pilot of StrongPoint ALS’s temperature controlled Click & Collect lockers at the retailer’s Skipton store in North Yorkshire.
The aim here is to provide a convenient and flexible way to collect ambient, chilled and frozen groceries.
In a LinkedIn post, Christopher Evison, Senior Productivity Manager at Morrisons, said: “This is a great step forward for Click & Collect at Morrisons. It brings faster pickups - orders are pre-packed in paper bags and loaded into the lockers in advance. Simply enter your unique six-digit code when you arrive and go. And more flexibility - the lockers are helping us extend operating hours by two hours a day, giving customers even more options for when they collect. Freshness is guaranteed - the multi-temperature lockers can accommodate ambient, chilled and frozen products, whether customers are picking up a few essentials or their full weekly shop.”
He added: “There is also support when you need it - integrated VoCoVo headsets provide a direct two-way connection to store colleagues, making it easy to get assistance or complete any required ID checks. Huge thank you to all that have supported from both StrongPoint and Vocovo. It’s another great step forward in investing in our online proposition while keeping customer convenience at the heart of what we do. A huge well done to everyone involved in getting the launch over the line - a fantastic team effort. We’re really looking forward to seeing customers using the lockers and continuing to drive our online propostion forward.”
Lidl GB
Lidl is rolling out new self-checkouts across its UK stores which play video footage back to customers while they are scanning their shopping. These will be deployed in all new stores and retrofitted into existing locations.
They will feature built in overhead cameras, vertically mounted large format screens, and LED lights to alert staff if people need help while scanning their shopping. To leave, customers must scan a receipt printed by the machine at a gate at the exit.
Roll-out is also taking place across hundreds of Lidl and Kaufland stores in Germany.
A Lidl spokesperson told RTIH: “The new self-checkouts are designed to be more customer friendly, enhancing the shopping experience while boosting efficiency.”
Diamantis Masoutis
Diamantis Masoutis is expanding its implementation of electronic shelf labels (ESL) in partnership with Mobile Technology, Vusion's partner in Greece. The initiative leverages Vusion's platform. In the first phase, Masoutis installed the company’s cloud-based ESL platform in 28 stores.
Theodoros Gerostergioudis, CEO at Diamantis Masoutis, says: "Digital transformation is a strategic priority for Masoutis. Our goal is to build strong and sustainable foundations that will reinforce our operational excellence, empower our people, and continuously enhance the value we offer our customers. Through targeted investments and reliable partnerships, we are shaping a resilient, future oriented retail model."
Apostolos Doxanidis, IT Director at Diamantis Masoutis, comments: "Electronic shelf labels represent an important step in our company's digital transformation journey. Technology does not replace the contribution of our people - it supports them with modern tools, so they can focus on service and on improving the consumer experience. With respect for our team and a vision for the future, we continue to invest in innovations that improve day-to-day operations and quality of service."
Tote
Tote AI has launched HQ Genie AI, with the aim of bringing a ChatGPT/Claude like experience to retail operations. It says that, instead of digging through dashboards and static reports, operators can ask questions of their live business data and get answers in seconds, with the system beginning to move beyond answering questions to monitoring operations and taking action.
This is in production with Loop Markets, Huck’s and Spinx.
Users can type questions such as what the latest discount on Diet Soda is, how many Monster Energy drinks a given store has left, what daily sales looked like over the last ten days, or the status of a specific card refund. As Tote runs the Point of Sale, HQ Genie draws on operational data from across the store, including the devices connected through Tote Device Cloud, which lets corporate help desk teams use it to spot and diagnose problems. For example, a help desk analyst can ask which devices across the chain need attention and see where issues are occurring, store by store.
Agentic workflows, now in beta, are built into HQ Genie and work to automate recurring tasks.
Halfords
Halfords has unveiled Pulse, the retailer’s new internal communications platform, powered by Blink. Designed to connect colleagues across the entire Halfords Group, Pulse brings together communications, recognition, resources, and key tools into one mobile first experience.
A spokesperson for Halfords said: “Whether colleagues are serving customers in our stores and garages, supporting operations in our distribution centres, or working behind the scenes from our support centres, the Blink platform provides a simpler way for our One Halfords Family to stay informed, connected, and engaged.”
“A huge thank you to the Blink team for their partnership throughout the project. Their expertise, innovative solutions, and collaborative approach have helped turn a shared vision into reality, and their support has been invaluable from planning through to launch. We're also incredibly grateful to the many Halfords colleagues who have contributed to bringing Pulse to life - this has been a true cross-functional, team effort driven by a shared ambition to create a better colleague experience for everyone.”
They added: “Today is just the beginning, and we're excited to see colleagues across the group start connecting, sharing, recognising, and celebrating together on Pulse. Helping our One Halfords Family stay connected and keep the nation moving, together.”
Paula Rosa Manhattan
Dassault Systèmes reports that Paula Rosa Manhattan, a kitchen specialist in the UK and part of Ballingslöv International, will use its HomeByMe solution to launch a new offering that delivers kitchens directly to customers for the first time.
“Adopting Dassault Systèmes’ HomeByMe Smart Kitchen Planner is a transformative step for our business as we embrace e-commerce to meet the evolving expectations of today’s consumers,” says Richard Lee, CEO at Paula Rosa Manhattan. “As manufacturers, we’ve always been focused on quality and craftsmanship. Now, we’re taking our expertise directly to customers by offering them a fully digital experience that they control. HomeByMe will support this natural step for us, with a simple, guided design experience for our customers.”
“Paula Rosa Manhattan’s decision to integrate HomeByMe Smart Kitchen Planner as a backbone of their new business strategy demonstrates its whish to explore new ways to engage with consumers,” says Annabel Chaussat, CEO, 3DVIA, Dassault Systèmes. “Digital transformation of the buying journey is becoming essential to enhance consumer experiences and drive growth in the kitchen sector. Paula Rosa Manhattan is adapting to changing markets in the UK kitchen sector, bringing a new kitchen design and selling experience.”
Stüssy
Stüssy is partnering with RELEX Solutions to connect forecasting, replenishment and merchandise financial planning across its global operations. RELEX will support the streetwear brand across stores, e-commerce and distribution centres (DCs).
Stüssy designs and markets men’s and women’s apparel and accessories, with products sold through its own stores as well as skate, surf, department and specialty retailers. The company operates a business spanning North America, Europe and Asia. As it grows its global operations, connecting demand, inventory and financial planning across channels have become increasingly important.
RELEX will support forecasting and replenishment alongside open to buy and merchandise financial planning. This will give teams better visibility into demand and lost sales, helping sharpen future buying decisions and improve sales and seasonal sell-through through stronger demand forecasting. Stüssy has selected Neos by Argon, a RELEX partner, to help bring the planning approach into operation across its network.
“Stüssy knows where it wants to take its planning organisation and has set a clear bar for what success looks like,” says Frank Lord, Chief Revenue Officer at RELEX Solutions. “Better visibility into customer demand will help the team make more informed buying decisions and plan with confidence and we’re excited to support them as they build for the next stage of growth.”
THG Fulfil and AutoStore
THG Fulfil, a fulfilment operating system from THG Ingenuity, has announced the expansion of its distribution partnership with AutoStore. The expanded tie up extends its distribution authorisation beyond a robotics as a service (RaaS) model to include traditional CapEx ownership, with the aim of giving brands and retailers greater commercial flexibility when investing in warehouse automation.
THG Fulfil operates 796 AutoStore robots across its own fulfilment network and has integrated the AutoStore system with its own proprietary WCS, to deliver over 11,000 bins to picking stations per hour and cut average pick wait times by 78%. That experience underpinned its recent AutoStore build for Footasylum, comprising 85 AutoStore R5 robots across more than 96,000 bin locations, storing the retailer’s entire live SKU range.
The expanded agreement gives THG Fulfil global distribution rights for the entire AutoStore product range under the CapEx model, while its RaaS offering covers a selected range of AutoStore products, including R5 Pro and R5 Pro+ robots, CarouselPort, ConveyorPort and VersaPort.
Lincolnshire Co-op
The Barcode Warehouse is working with Lincolnshire Co-op on the roll-out of a new self-checkout solution. Lincolnshire Co-op, which operates more than 220 outlets across Lincolnshire and neighbouring counties, including food stores, pharmacies, post offices and travel branches, is expanding self-service checkout options across its food store estate as part of its investment in enhancing customer experience.
Andy Warman, Chief Commercial and Transformation Officer at Lincolnshire Co-op, says: “The introduction of self-checkouts across our food stores represents an important step in enhancing the shopping experience for our customers. Working with The Barcode Warehouse, we have delivered a solution that provides greater convenience, reduces queuing times, and gives customers more choice in how they shop. This investment reflects our ongoing commitment to continuing to deliver high standards of customer service and embracing innovation technology that adds value for our communities.”
The Barcode Warehouse has supplied and supported the retailer's in-store technology estate for more than three years. Today, it supplies Point of Sale equipment, handheld devices for stock management and pricing updates, reduced to clear printing solutions and managed services support across the business.
Hozelock
Polytag has partnered with Hozelock, a manufacturer of garden watering and outdoor products, to introduce smart QR codes across its garden product range. The deployment brings connected product experiences to the garden and outdoor sector for the first time.
By scanning the codes, Hozelock customers can access product specific guidance, including how to guides and videos, while the company gains new insight into how and where its products are being used.
The smart QR codes, powered by Polytag's platform, have been added to Hozelock products available through retailers including B&Q. When scanned, the codes can direct consumers to content tailored to their market and device language, enabling Hozelock to provide relevant information across its international markets using a single QR code.
This is particularly valuable for Hozelock's range of technical and higher value garden products, where packaging alone cannot always display the level of information customers may need. The digital connection also provides a foundation for future product level information requirements, including Digital Product Passports, allowing Hozelock to build on the infrastructure already in place as these requirements are rolled out.
The deployment also gives Hozelock visibility beyond the point of purchase. Through the Polytag platform, the company can see where and when customers are engaging with its products, providing data that was previously unavailable once a product had left the retailer.
Dike & Son
Independent retailer Dike & Son Superstore says it has achieved a 92% sell-through rate on reduced products, according to its latest weekly September figures. That is up from around 73% when it joined Gander in February 2026.
The increase of around 19 percentage points follows improvements to the way the store manages reductions, alongside promotion of Gander through its Facebook page. In the latest reporting week, Dike & Son sold 1,200 of the 1,310 products it reduced.
Adam Vincent, Company Director at Dike & Son, says: “Our team has worked hard to make reductions a consistent part of how we operate and we have also used Facebook to let customers know they can find great value through Gander. Seeing our sell-through rise from around 73% in February to 92% in our latest weekly figures is a fantastic result. It shows what our colleagues can achieve when the right technology is backed by good processes in-store.”
H&M
H&M has overhauled its onsite search across more than 60 markets, working with Voyado. The retailer says that the move away from keyword matching to an intent driven model has reduced soft exits (where shoppers drift off because of friction rather than choice) by 80% and cut customer exits from search by 30%.
Rather than matching search terms to product names, the new setup reads a range of signals at once: stock availability, add to bag actions, purchase behaviour, product newness, revenue performance and customer intent and updates rankings in real-time.
“As our business grew, we needed a more intelligent approach to search, ranking, and discovery. We found Voyado to be the best fit for us.” says Lars Gezelius, Acting Global Head of Digital at H&M.
Erica Sandelin Ekelund, CEO at Voyado, says: "Search is a clear signal of what customers actually want. When a customer searches, they’re not browsing - they’re telling you. And many retailers are throwing that signal away. H&M recognised the value and used it to rebuild their customer experience from the ground up, and the numbers confirm they were right. The most successful retailers won’t be those with the most extensive catalogues. They’ll be the ones who understand their customers and what they actually came for.”
Woolworths Group
Pine Labs has extended its technology partnership with Woolworths Group. Through its Qwikcilver subsidiary, Pine Labs powers the technology platform supporting Woolworths' gift card programmes. The tie up will build on this foundation, with a focus on strengthening platform capabilities, enabling deeper technology integration, and supporting the evolution of gift card experiences across physical and digital channels.
“The most valuable technology partnerships are built over time and become part of the infrastructure that businesses rely on every day,” says B Amrish Rau, CEO at Pine Labs. “Over the past five years, Pine Labs and Woolworths have established that kind of relationship. We are now expanding the technology foundation with enhanced platform capabilities that can support new gift card experiences and stored-value use cases.”
He adds: “As gift card experiences become increasingly digital, integrated, and omnichannel, enterprises need technology infrastructure that can evolve alongside customer expectations. Our partnership with Woolworths is focused on providing that long-term foundation.”
JB Hi-Fi
Vusion has announced a new roll-out initiative at Australian retailer JB Hi-Fi’s stores. Under the agreement, JB Hi-Fi plans to deploy Vusion’s digital shelf-edge technology in Australia following a pilot phase, as well as a full roll-out across its New Zealand store network.
“We are focused on innovation that delivers efficiencies to our store operations and supports our teams in serving customers,” says Cameron Trainor, MD at JB Hi-Fi Australia. “Our collaboration with Vusion gives us a scalable technology platform to support store teams, strengthen execution and advance the next phase of our strategy.”
“We are very proud to support JB Hi-Fi as it takes this important step toward a more connected store network,” says Pierre Demoures, SEVP & COO at Vusion. “Australia is a key market for Vusion and JB Hi-Fi is one of the region’s most distinctive retailers. This agreement shows how connected store infrastructure can help leading retailers modernise operations while preserving the store experience that makes them unique.”
JD Sports
Dan McGrath, JD Group Customer Operations, JD Sports, has taken to social media to provide an update on the retailer’s RFID programme, which involves various countries and thousands of stores.
In a LinkedIn post, McGrath said: “This week, our final country goes live with RFID, Germany. And with that, everything we directly control will be live for phase one of our RFID programme. When I look back at what we’ve achieved, the numbers are pretty incredible: 1,000 stores directly launched in 14 months. And across the wider global group, working alongside our counterparts around the world: 2,700 stores live out of 4,800 in that same period, 192 stores a month!”
He added: “But the numbers only tell part of this story. RFID isn’t just about scanners, tags and technology. It’s about changing behaviours, processes and mindsets. We’ve done things that were uncomfortable. Challenged established ways of working. Asked people to rethink processes they’d used for years. And, most importantly, brought people with us on the journey. And we haven't done that alone.”
Musgrave Northern Ireland
Musgrave Northern Ireland, part of the Musgrave Group, an Irish convenience retail, wholesale and food service business, whose brands include SuperValu and Centra, has expanded its rapid grocery delivery offering through a partnership with Snappy Technologies, powered by the company’s Order Aggregation (OA) platform.
This connects its stores with leading rapid delivery marketplaces, with five company owned SuperValu and Centra stores across Northern Ireland now available on Just Eat and Uber Eats. A further 13 company owned stores are expected to launch in the next phase of the roll-out across September.
With the OA platform, Musgrave can manage orders from multiple online marketplaces through a single, streamlined solution. The technology enables retailers to manage key functions including orders, menus, promotions and stock across multiple channels.
Iceland Foods
Iceland Foods has partnered with Retail Insight to deploy its AI powered WasteInsight solution as part of the retailer's focus on reducing food waste.
General Manager of EMEA and APAC at Retail Insight, Martin Rigby, says: "Retailers have access to more operational data than ever before, but data only creates value when it enables better decisions. The opportunity is to move from reporting what has already happened to identifying where action is needed before waste occurs.”
"We are delighted to be working with Iceland to support its continued focus on reducing food waste. By combining AI with operational insight, WasteInsight helps surface the products and actions that matter most, enabling colleagues to intervene earlier and with greater confidence."
Iceland Foods’ Stores Director, Steve Shirley, says: "Reducing food waste remains an important priority for Iceland. We are continually looking at ways to improve how we use operational data to support our colleagues in making faster, better informed decisions in stores.”
"Working with Retail Insight will help us explore how AI driven operational intelligence can support our waste reduction objectives while improving consistency across our store operations."
Kesko
Finnish retailing conglomerate, Kesko, is building a new logistics centre in Nurmijärvi, Finland, and has selected KNAPP as its automation partner for the first phase of the project. Kesko is a grocery retailer and wholesaler and its new central warehouse in Nurmijärvi is being built for the company’s foodservice business for the hotel, restaurant and catering (HoReCa) sector. Construction work began at the beginning of 2026.
“We are building an automation solution designed to serve our business for decades to come,” says Pekka Tala, Development Director at Kesko. “That is why it was important for us to find a solution that not only meets today’s needs, but also enables us to develop our operations in the future.”
According to Tala, the fundamentals of logistics automation have remained similar in many respects, but system performance and reliability have advanced considerably. Software also plays a growing role, as automation solutions guide operations more intelligently than before.
Kesko and KNAPP have worked together previously, and a joint planning process reinforced the view that KNAPP’s solution is well aligned with the objectives set for the logistics centre. The single facility must be able to serve different customers and order types efficiently using the same technology platform.
Healthy Options
Healthy Options, a Philippines’ retailer of natural and organic products, has expanded its use of RELEX Solutions’ platform, adding price optimisation, fresh optimisation, and pick to zero capabilities across its stores and distribution centres. The implementation is being delivered in partnership with Genie X.
The retailer first deployed RELEX forecasting and replenishment capabilities in October 2025, consolidating supply chain planning across thousands of SKUs. Healthy Options had been managing pricing through manual, spreadsheet-based processes that made it difficult to react quickly to market shifts.
As the company has grown, so has the complexity of balancing competitive pricing with margin protection and its positioning as a premium quality retailer. Price Optimisation will give Healthy Options access to price elasticity data to support pricing calls that keep the business customer centric without eroding margins.
Fresh Optimisation will support the retailer in reducing waste, improving availability, and ensuring its fresh assortment consistently meets the quality standard customers expect. By running forecasting, replenishment, pricing, and fresh optimisation on a unified AI driven platform, it says it will be able to make more connected decisions across its operations.
