Former AND Digital executive Jack Aspden joins VoCoVo as its new Chief of Staff and Strategy

Retail communications specialist VoCoVo has appointed Jack Aspden as Chief of Staff and Strategy.

In a LinkedIn post, Aspden, whose CV includes stints at AND Digital and BrightBox Group, said: “A new chapter begins. Last week I joined VoCoVo as Chief of Staff and Strategy.”

He added: “VoCoVo is a great British success story - a Times Top 50 company building connected technology that’s transformed customer experience in retail and hospitality across the UK, Europe and US. Great heritage - three years of hypergrowth. Industry leading product. Hardware and software. Brilliant team. What’s not to love.”

Aspden concluded: “A huge thank you to everyone for such a warm welcome - and for the chance to attend VoCoLive last month. It was so inspiring to see firsthand just how much this company has achieved, and what’s to come…For anyone who doubted our ability to build great tech businesses in the UK - watch this space.”

Weis Markets

US retailer Weis Markets is set to implement VoCoVo’s voice technology following a pilot.

The roll-out will equip associates in stores across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, West Virginia, and Virginia with VoCoVo's Series 5 Pro Headsets, call points, and keypads.

Associates can make and receive calls directly from their headsets, while call points and keypads streamline communication at service counters and registers.

"Our store teams are looking forward to using VoCoVo's technology, which will help them enhance customer experience," says Greg Zeh, Weis Markets Chief Information Officer/Senior Vice President. "This investment helps our teams collaborate in real time, which make our stores more efficient, connected, and responsive to customer needs."

"We're thrilled to support Weis Markets' mission of operational excellence and superior customer service," says Martin Smethurst, Chief Customer Officer at VoCoVo.. "Our technology is designed to empower frontline teams with instant, seamless communication, and we're proud to help Weis create smarter, safer, and more connected stores across the region."

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Voice technology will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards will open for entries in April. They celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 15th October.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.