RTIH AI Awards winners assemble!: rounding up this week's biggest retail technology stories
It's Friday, the weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail tech space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from the past few days, including Coty, OpenAI, Resolve AI, Instacart, Costco, Instacart, VenHub Global, Asos, Fermat, Auger, Wolt, Legion Technologies, Vusion, and Extra Shop.
1. RTIH AI in Retail Awards winners announced, including Ikea, Depop, Currys, and B&Q
Brarista, IBM Consulting, Foundit!, Quorso, Vusion, Sensei, Reckon.ai, EE, Walkbase, Globant, Riskified, and Goddiva were among the winners at the RTIH AI in Retail Awards, sponsored by VenHub Global, 3D Cloud, EdTech Innovation Hub, and Retail Technology Show.
Our 2026 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The Barbican in Central London and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Lucy Porter.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “According to Amazon’s Andy Jassy: AI is a once in a lifetime reinvention of everything we know, and the largest technology transformation since the cloud.”
“Whether that’s overstating it or not, we're certainly seeing an increasing number of innovative, potentially game changing developments in this space across both traditional and digital retail spaces. And that is reflected in tonight's finalists, who are boosting customer experiences and tackling retailers' painpoints across the likes of physical stores, online, omnichannel, supply chain, and payments.”
“To quote one of our judges: I have to admit, judging these awards was so difficult. So many that would have been worthy winners. And great to see how AI has moved firmly into delivery mode. Firmly into delivering for customers and driving huge innovation.”
Congratulations to our 2026 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Lucy Porter, and all those who attended last night’s gathering.
Stay tuned for an indepth review of the awards ceremony in the next edition of RTIH magazine.
2. Instacart and Costco take North American same-day delivery tie up to European countries
Instacart and Costco Wholesale have announced the expansion of their North American partnership into Europe, with the launch of Costco’s first ever same-day delivery websites in France and Spain, powered by Instacart’s Storefront Pro commerce platform and fulfillment solutions services.
Costco members in France and Spain can now shop online and receive delivery through its websites in each country. The initial roll-out includes delivery from all locations in France and Spain, including the Paris metropolitan area and Mulhouse in France, as well as Bilbao, Madrid, Seville, and Zaragoza in Spain.
Orders are fulfilled and delivered from the store to the member’s door. Instacart is teaming with European partner companies in each country at launch for the picking, packing and delivery of orders. Members will also be able to get same as-in-store pricing.
3. Milestone for smart store technology specialist VenHub Global as it begins trading on Nasdaq
VenHub Global began trading on the Nasdaq on Friday in a direct listing.
Shahan Ohanessian, Founder and CEO at VenHub, comments: “While it continues to evolve, the VenHub Smart Store is not a concept for what the future of retail can look like. Our Smart Stores are already deployed and serving communities and consumers."
"Our Nasdaq listing is more than a financial milestone, it is a statement of execution and readiness that will help unlock additional opportunities to further our growth as we bring VenHub's unique vision to the public markets.”
Ohanessian adds: “This moment belongs to every partner, every operator, and every city leader who sees the future of retail as faster, safer and more sustainable. We are just getting started, and we are committed to scaling responsibly while creating meaningful value for all of our constituents.”
4. Checkout.com inks deal with Spotify to power payments globally for digital music service
Checkout.com is set to provide global acquiring services for Spotify with the aim of delivering a secure and reliable payments experience for its global audience of more than 700 million monthly active users and 280 million+ paying subscribers.
“Our aim is to deliver a seamless, simple, and safe payment experience so that our users can focus on enjoying the music, podcasts, and audiobooks they find on Spotify,” says Sandra Alzetta, Vice President, Global Head of Payments and Customer Service at Spotify.
“It's important for us to work with partners who can move quickly and collaborate closely. Partnering with Checkout.com enables us to leverage their global reach, local expertise, and the ability to optimise payment performance at scale.”
Spotify will use Intelligent Acceptance, Checkout.com’s proprietary AI solution that uses real-time data from its global network to intelligently route transactions, reduce failures, and improve performance. The integration also includes network tokens and authentication services.
5. Asos partners with Fermat as online fast fashion giant upskills 100+ designers in generative AI
Asos says that it has upskilled more than 100 designers in generative AI. Fermat’s technology is now embedded across its design operations, enabling designers to turn sketches into photo realistic visuals in seconds.
The online retailer can instantly explore different colours, fabrics and variations, helping communicate ideas more clearly with suppliers and improving accuracy in first time samples while reducing waste.
These workflows also free up creative time, supported by an average 75 to 80% time saving across key design processes. According to Asos, designers can iterate more boldly, push ideas further and uncover concepts that may not have been developed before.
Nick Eley, Head of Digital Creation at Asos, says: “Generative AI is already elevating the way our designers explore trends and develop ideas. It helps us reach stronger concepts faster, so we can create the best possible product and deliver it to customers at the right moment.”
6. Dave Clark's supply chain technology startup Auger bags Meta Reality Labs as a customer
Auger, a startup founded by former Amazon executive Dave Clark, reports that Meta Reality Labs has selected it to deploy its autonomous operating system across Meta’s supply chain.
Auger’s AI native platform senses deviations, evaluates trade-offs, and executes decisions. The system sits above existing infrastructure (ERPs, WMS, TMS), unifying operational data into a single source of truth.
“We spent decades proving that technology and operational innovation could redefine what’s possible at planetary scale. Now we’re building the operating system where autonomy is the foundation, not bolted on,” says Clark.
“That Meta chose Auger this early in our journey validates the power of what we’ve built and signals where the industry is headed. The companies first to incorporate autonomous operations will create advantages their competitors can’t replicate.”
7. Resolve AI bags $125 million in Series A funding as startup hits $1 billion valuation milestone
Resolve AI, a startup that builds AI agents to find and fix problems in live software systems and whose customers include DoorDash, has raised $125 million in a non-blended Series A funding at a $1 billion valuation, led by Lightspeed Venture Partners.
Existing investors Greylock Partners, which led the company's seed round, Unusual Ventures, Artisanal Ventures, and A* also took part. Resolve AI has raised more than $150 million in total funding just 16 months after emerging from stealth, winning customers including Coinbase, MongoDB, MSCI, Salesforce, and Zscaler.
"The next frontier for software engineering is applying AI to the problem of running software in production," says Spiros Xanthos, Founder and CEO at Resolve AI. "AI has fundamentally changed how software is built; now it's time to change how software runs. By applying AI to production operations, we're accelerating the entire lifecycle of software and creating the foundation for a new era of innovation at scale."
8. Delivery firm Wolt announces workforce management tie up with Legion Technologies
Legion Technologies reports that Wolt, a Helsinki-based technology company and on demand delivery specialist, has selected it to modernise its workforce management across 20 countries in EMEA.
Wolt will implement Legion’s full AI powered WFM suite, including Labour Budgeting, Demand Forecasting, Labour Optimisation, Automated Scheduling, Time & Attendance, Frontline Communications, and Strategic Insights. The project is underway, and the solution will be fully deployed in 2026.
“Providing our global teams with a modern WFM solution is critical to enabling efficiency and supporting our people,” says Athanasios Bilalis, Global Head at Wolt Market. “Legion’s platform provides the intelligence and flexibility required to enhance our operations across countries, languages, and business units.”
9. Belgian retailer Extra Shop set to deploy Vusion platform and ESLs across 1,700 plus stores
Vusion has been selected by Extra Shop to deploy its solutions in 40 of the Belgian retailer’s locations in Belgium. The project will see more than 1,700 stores running Vusion’ technology in the country.
Extra Shop will deploy its platform and electronic shelf labels to highlight specific campaigns and product information, while displaying price and promotional information at the right place and time, adapting to customers’ expectations. Associates can also be guided during their restocking process thanks to geolocation and LEDs placed on each ESL.
“We are thrilled to partner with Vusion to bring advanced digital solutions to our stores. This collaboration will not only enhance our operational efficiency, but also keep our employees motivated and enthusiastic about improving the shopping experience for our customers,” says Laurent Vanden Brande, Head of Supply Chain and IT at Extra Shop.
“We selected Vusion for both their high impact digital solutions and their clear leadership in innovation, AI & Data at the service of retailers. We are eager to witness the positive impact of these innovations in our stores and are confident that our customers will benefit from an enhanced shopping experience.”
10. Beauty company Coty announces partnership with OpenAI as it looks to boost global AI adoption
Coty has announced a collaboration with OpenAI to expand the use of artificial intelligence tools across selected areas of its global organisation.
Jerome Auvinet, Coty Chief Information, Digital Innovation & Business Services Officer, says: “This collaboration enables our teams to securely use OpenAI’s leading, enterprise grade AI capabilities in line with Coty’s expectations for privacy, quality, and performance. It helps our teams work more efficiently and focus on higher value contributions.”
Coty’s work with OpenAI builds on the company’s internal use of AI and a global upskilling programme designed to give employees across functions the confidence, creativity, and foundational skills to use AI in their day to day work.
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