Roblox rises, Gap entertains and Ocado reboots: the retail technology week in numbers
Do you like numbers? Do you like retail tech news? Then this is the article for you. Including Profitmind, Co-op, Croissant, Ocado Group, Lidl GB, M&S, Maple Group, Gander, Ikea, Decathlon, lululemon, Pepper, and the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
1,000...Ocado Group is to cut around 1,000 jobs. The company, which provides automated technology for distribution centres and runs its own UK online grocery business through a JV with Marks & Spencer, said two thirds of the job losses would be in the UK.
It has 20,000 staff globally and is targeting savings of £150 million through plans that would also see spending cut on research and development following years of major investment. Its Ocado Solutions and Ocado Intelligent Automation divisions are to be merged.
8...The eighth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards is now open for entries. The awards celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our latest winners were revealed at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Thursday, 16th October.
Key dates for 2026
Friday, 20th February: Awards open for entries
Friday, 11th September: Award entry deadline
Tuesday, 15th September: 2026 finalists revealed
Wednesday, 16th September - Wednesday, 30th September: Judging days
Thursday, 15th October: Winners announced at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London
$9 million...Profitmind, an agentic AI decision intelligence platform, has announced a $9 million Series A financing led by Accenture Ventures.
New investor Thorndale Farm participated in the round, alongside reinvestment from existing backers Magarac Venture Partners; AI Fund, led by Profitmind Chairman Andrew Ng; and Lightscape Partners. Several individual investors also participated, including board member Mario Ciampi, former President of Disney Store and former COO of The Children’s Place.
The funding will be used to scale the platform to more retailers globally, expand product capabilities and grow the team to support those efforts. It builds on a recent partnership with Microsoft to bring the platform to Microsoft Marketplace and Azure.
“Retail teams are not short on data, but they are short on time and decision-making confidence,” says Dr. Mark Chrystal, Co-Founder and CEO at Profitmind. “This investment allows us to scale a platform that replaces days of manual work with clear, strategy aligned recommendations teams can act on immediately with predictable outcomes.”
$28 million...Croissant has raised $28 million in capital as it looks to accelerate growth and deepen partnerships with brands and retailers. The round includes $14 million in funded proceeds and $14 million in incremental debt capacity. Existing investors Portage, Third Prime, and George Roberts led the equity component of the raise.
It brings total capital raised to $52 million.
Croissant says that to date it has driven over $50 million in gross merchandise volume (GMV) across more than 100,000 users. It partners with brands and retailers including Nordstrom, Revolve, Reformation, and SSENSE.
Croissant shoppers receive 10% back immediately on every purchase at partner brands, along with guaranteed future resale prices.
"We've built an ecosystem that works. Shoppers love unlocking value by buying better. Brands love acquiring customers who think long-term. Now we're pouring fuel on the fire," says John Howard, Founder and CEO at Croissant.
"For brands, customer acquisition costs are rising, and loyalty is fragile. For shoppers, purchasing higher quality goods that retain value is the smartest financial and lifestyle decision, but hasn’t been adequately incentivised to date. Croissant connects those dots. We drive high intent demand to brands, reward customers for shopping and reselling, and create a healthier cycle of commerce. This funding allows us to scale that engine."
$3 million...Burst (formerly Float), a healthcare payments platform that helps retailers and wellness brands unlock FSA and HSA spending, has raised $3 million in total funding, including a $2.1 million seed round led by Pear VC with participation from Rock Health Capital, Alumni Ventures, and others.
The capital will accelerate product development and fuel partnerships with retailers, e-commerce brands, and plan administrators looking to capture more health spending.
"We can help activate more of your customers to look like your best segment," says Anthony Rangel, Co-founder and CEO at Burst. "HSA and FSA cardholders are already retailers' most loyal customers, returning often and spending more when they do. We eliminate the friction and empower consumers to use their pre-tax health benefits at your storefront."
Burst works entirely post-purchase. Retailers keep their existing payment stack, checkout flows, and tooling. Shoppers pay as they normally would with Apple Pay, credit cards, or loyalty rewards. After purchase, Burst identifies HSA/FSA eligible items, notifies customers of their savings opportunity, and files reimbursement claims automatically with their plan administrator.
The platform integrates through a Shopify app or API and works across every sales channel, including e-commerce, in-store PoS systems, telehealth platforms, and subscription services. For subscriptions, Burst supports Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) issuance and helps enable automatic recurring reimbursements.
£481,000...Lidl GB reports that its latest fundraising through the microdonation system, Pennies, has raised over £481,000 for the NSPCC’s Childline service. Since originally launching last year, Pennies has pulled in £1 million so far.
Lidl GB is the first supermarket to introduce Pennies nationwide, complementing existing in-store NSPCC cash donation tins. The system delivers a way for customers to donate up to 30p per transaction via the card reader at checkout.
Ryan McDonnell, CEO at Lidl GB, says: “During a visit to Childline’s offices, I was able to see first-hand the impact micro donations can make to children across the country.”
“I’d like to thank everyone who has made this possible - to our customers for their generosity and to our colleagues for continuing to champion our partnership nationwide. Thank you to all the volunteers who turn that generosity into life-changing support for children. Seeing the impact up close, I felt immensely proud of what we’re achieving together.”
Lidl GB has been a partner with the NSPCC since 2017, raising over £10 million through colleague and customer fundraising, corporate sponsorship, and events.
Research from UK convenience retailer Co-op’s media network, CMN, in partnership with consultancy Trinity McQueen, suggests that most convenience store shoppers are led by mission-based behaviour - e.g. ‘something for dinner’ or ‘I’m thirsty’ - without a plan to purchase a specific product or brand, underestimate how much they will buy, are more committed to making a purchase and are more open to guidance from in store advertising campaigns.
CMN and Trintiy McQueen ran a combination of accompanied shops and post-purchase interviews in three large and three small Co-op stores to understand the psychology and habits of shoppers across both formats.
68% of shoppers visit a convenience store with no set list - written or mental - and shop with a mission or need in mind, e.g. ‘something for breakfast’ or ‘I’m hungry’. The large store data showed the opposite pattern, with more planning, stronger intent and less behavioural flexibility when shopping. Importantly, this research indicates that customers in a convenience setting have a stronger reliance on in-store prompts, such as retail media, to guide their decision making.
54%...Roblox is the fastest growing Gen Z commerce channel, with order volume growth outstripping that of TikTok, according to research from Retail Technology Show 2026.
Its study of 1,000 shoppers revealed that on average Gen Z made 20 purchases on Roblox in the last 12 months, rising +54% year-on-year.
This outgrew TikTok, which experienced a +10% uptick in the number of orders placed by Gen Z consumers in the last year.
When it came to order volumes on Roblox, Gen Z were the most prolific across all age groups, making x2.4 times as many purchases. However, the number of Roblox purchases made across shoppers of all ages also surged +31% in the last year.
After exponential pandemic era growth, Roblox experienced a subsequent slowdown as consumer behaviours normalising post-Covid. But last year its growth re-ignited as it widened its audience and moved into selling physical goods, as well as the digital products and NFTs it was previously best known for.
Roblox’ daily active users in 2025 grew to more than 150 million globally, while it also reported a surge in engagement, with itscommunity spending 88.7 billion engaged hours on the platform between January and September 2025.
4,500...NCR Voyix has announced a new customer win with 7‑Eleven Philippines. The retailer has selected Voyix PoS delivered on the Voyix Commerce Platform to upgrade store technology and improve the shopper experience across more than 4,500 locations. This marks the first engagement between the two companies.
It has also enlisted NCR Voyix for both professional and managed services.
“Improving store operations, enhancing deployment efficiency and strengthening security and compliance are critical priorities for our business,” says Richard Lee, President, 7‑Eleven Philippines. “NCR Voyix demonstrated a strong understanding of our needs and how its platform can help us introduce improvements at scale and serve customers better across our network.”
This would enshrine in law policies, targets and ambitions to improve public health, reduce inequalities, protect the environment and improve UK resilience, while safeguarding progress from short-term political cycles.
The initiative sees businesses including Marks & Spencer (M&S), Danone, Co-op Group, Bidfood, The Compleat Food Group and major caterers Elior and Sodexo are lining up alongside NGOs including The Food Foundation, Sustain, Green Alliance, Barnardo's and WWF, as well as health organisations like the British Medical Association, British Heart Foundation and the British Dental Association.
Anna Taylor, Executive Director, The Food Foundation, says: “A Good Food Bill would provide the durable policy foundation needed to transform the food system for generations to come. Governments can achieve important wins within a single term, but only legislation can lock in change, providing certainty and protecting progress from shifting political priorities.”
“With food strategies and legislation already in place across the devolved nations, this is a timely opportunity for Westminster to introduce legislation that benefits the whole UK. We are calling on the government to seize this moment, commit to new primary legislation and lead the change needed to build a food system fit for the future.”
Andrew Clappen, Director of Food Technology at M&S Food, says: “To ensure national food security, we need a strong cross-government commitment which is supported by industry to increase domestic food supply.”
“We support this call for a Good Food Bill, to refocus our national approach to build sustainable supply chains, increase investment in climate resilience and support farmers and growers to put nutritious food on our plates.”
40 million...Gap has launched a new membership programme, Encore, running across its Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta brands.
With nearly 40 million active members, this is now live in the US, with enrolment available online and in stores.
Members can unlock: Early access to select products and exclusive drops; Members only cultural moments and partner offerings; Curated behind the scenes content. They can also donate rewards to select charitable organisations.
“Fashion is entertainment, and today’s customers aren’t just buying apparel, they’re buying into brands that shape culture and tell compelling stories,” says Richard Dickson, President and Chief Executive Officer at Gap.
“Encore connects our brands and partnerships in new ways to meet that demand and change how customers engage with our brands. By bringing fashion, entertainment and access together, we are building momentum, deepening relationships and creating long-term value across our portfolio.”
“Encore is a powerful new tool to bring our Fashiontainment platform to life,” says Pam Kaufman, Chief Entertainment Officer at Gap. “Through partners like Disney, NBCUniversal and AMC Theatres, we can translate what people love on screens and stages into experiences they can actually access - from early drops and exclusives to cultural moments you can’t get anywhere else. It’s a new way to participate in entertainment through style, and to feel closer to our brands.”
7...Irish retail group Maple Group has become the first in the Republic of Ireland to use AI powered technology from Gander across its estate to tackle food waste.
It piloted the integration in January 2025, going live simultaneously across all seven stores in Donegal. And it has now committed to a full contract until the end of 2026.
Through integration with its Station Master EPoS, back office and handheld systems, reduced price products are instantly visible to shoppers via Gander in real-time. During the pilot, Maple Group increased its sell-through rate of reduced products from 30% in March to 57% by October, saving almost 60% of reduced-to-clear food from going to waste.
The initiative has also helped the group recover an additional €13,000 in 2025 while keeping perfectly good food in the food chain.
“This pilot has been transformative for our business,” says Arthur McMahon, Managing Director at Maple Group. “From a purely operational perspective, we have further reduced food waste across all seven stores by more than 27 per cent, while the recovery of value has exceeded €13,000 in less than ten months.
“The integration of AI technology has allowed us to optimise stock visibility and drive measurable improvements in efficiency, all without impacting our daily store operations. These results confirm that sustainability and commercial performance can go hand in hand, and we are proud to be leading the way in Ireland.”
1...Ikea has announced plans for a new Decathlon store within its Croydon location, with the doors set to open this spring.
This will be a standalone unit with a dedicated customer entrance, spanning 1,188 square metres of retail space within the 25,000 square metre Ikea store.
Croydon will be the retailer’s first UK store to pilot this partnership. Decathlon will offer a curated selection of 5,000+ products across hiking, camping, running, fitness, swimming, cycling etc. It will also include services such as Buyback to keep gear in play, alongside Click & Collect.
100...Lidl Ireland is celebrating a self-checkout technology milestone. In a LinkedIn post, it said: “We are thrilled to announce a major milestone in our mission to provide the best shopping experience in Ireland: our 100th store (Lidl Fonthill) has officially gone live with self-checkout (SCO) technology.”
It added: “We’re investing €10.7 million to modernise how you shop. But this isn't just about new screens - it's about giving you time back. Our data shows that using SCO is 55% faster, and since rolling them out, customer satisfaction has jumped by 9%.”
It is also investing €2.7 million to upgrade traditional manual tills. New till furniture featuring extended belts and dual packing areas is being rolled out across the country. These provide customers with more space to pack their groceries comfortably, while allowing store assistants to begin serving the next customer immediately.
Lidl Ireland concluded: “A huge shoutout to our project and store teams for making this rapid roll-out possible while continuing to deliver the best service for our customers.”
The retailer made its debut in the Irish grocery market in 2000, and now has over 5,000 colleagues across 190 sites in Ireland and Northern Ireland.
1,600...Violence and abuse against retail workers fell by a fifth from 2,000 incidents per day in 2023/4 to 1,600 last year, according to a new report from the BRC.
The report, sponsored by Sensormatic Solutions, suggests this improvement reflects years of heavy investment by retailers, an improved police response - with 13% of retailers rating the police response as good, or excellent, up from just 9% in last year’s report – as well as closer collaboration between retailers, police, and government.
Retailers have stumped up over £5 billion in the last five years on improved security measures, from CCTV, to security staff, to improved data collection.
While this is welcome progress, levels of retail crime remain unacceptably high. At 1,600 per day, incidents of violence and abuse is still the second highest on record and far beyond the 455 incidents per day pre-pandemic (2019/20). Of particular concern, incidents involving physical violence remained largely unchanged from last year, at 118 per day, and there were on average 36 incidents per day involving a weapon.
Theft also remains a significant challenge for retailers. There were 5.5 million detected incidents of shoplifting last year, costing retailers nearly £400 million, but with many incidents going undetected, the true cost is likely to be much higher. Organised criminal gangs are increasingly targeting high value, easily resold goods, exploiting the lack of consequences from law enforcement. For the first time, the report also looks at the issue of delivery parcel theft, which cost retailers more than £100 million last year.
100...lululemon reports the upcoming opening of the 100th lululemon store in its Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) market.
Across EMEA, its stores are a blend of company and franchise operated locations. Through its franchise partnership agreement with Arion Retail Group, the 100th location will open on 13th March in Warsaw, Poland, becoming the first lululemon store in the country.
The move follows its announcement last year to expand its international presence in 2026 with six new market entries - a record number for the company in a single year - through its franchise partnership model. In addition to Poland, planned market entries this year include Hungary, Romania, Greece, India, and Austria.
Since the first lululemon store opened in EMEA in London’s Covent Garden in 2014, it has steadily grown its physical footprint across the region. Today, there are lululemon store locations across 19 markets in EMEA. Earlier this month, it opened its latest company operated store in London on High Street Kensington, its 13th location in the city.
$50 million...Pepper, a technology platform for independent food distributors, has raised $50 million in Series C funding to expand product innovation and deepen AI enabled capabilities. The round was led by Lead Edge Capital, with participation from existing investors including ICONIQ, Index Ventures, Greylock, Harmony Partners, and Interplay.
Pepper’s suite of products helps independent food distributors in modernising core workflows across ordering, sales and marketing, accounts receivable, and embedded payments. The company serves more than 500 distributors, representing approximately $30 billion in annual gross merchandise volume, and supports over 100,000 active operators nationwide.
“Food distribution is one of the largest and most fundamental markets in the world, yet it has long operated on manual systems and fragmented technology,” says Bowie Cheung, CEO at Pepper.
“This newest round of funding enables us to build the next generation of platform capabilities our customers rely on to run every critical part of their business, from ordering workflows to sales productivity and payments capabilities. Independent distributors can no longer survive on legacy technology, and our product suite gives these business owners the same technological advantage that has historically been reserved for food industry giants.”
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