High profile physical failures: RTIH rounds up the biggest retail technology stories from January
January is done and dusted, 2026 is well and truly up and running, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful month for the retail technology space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from January, including Amazon, Walmart, Wing, Pricer, East of England Co-op, Quorso, Circle K, JD Sport Fashion, Tesco, Cirrys, B&Q, Ikea, Depop, and the RTIH AI in Retail Awards.
1. Just Walk Out tech survives as Amazon calls time on Go and Fresh physical stores push
Amazon is binning its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh physical stores experiment as it shifts its focus to on demand online delivery and new big box locations.
It says that some of its shuttered Amazon branded bricks and mortar stores will be converted into Whole Foods Market locations. It plans to open over 100 new Whole Foods Market stores over the next few years.
In an online post, it said: “While we've seen encouraging signals in our Amazon branded physical grocery stores, we haven't yet created a truly distinctive customer experience with the right economic model needed for large scale expansion.”
“After a careful evaluation of the business and how we can best serve customers, we've made the difficult decision to close our Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh physical stores, converting various locations into Whole Foods Market stores.”
“Customers can continue to shop Amazon Fresh online in available areas for fast and convenient delivery. We're grateful to our team members for their many contributions over the years and are working whenever possible to help them find roles elsewhere in Amazon, including across our vast operations network, as we make this transition.”
2. 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 on Thursday, 29th January 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 month’s gathering.
Stay tuned for an indepth review of the awards ceremony in the next edition of RTIH magazine.
3. Tesco announces trial of Auror retail crime reporting platform across 40 stores
Tesco is testing out a new crime reporting platform across 40 of its stores.
The ten-week trial will be conducted across Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, with the aim of driving down retail crime, protecting colleagues and increasing collaboration with the police and the wider retail industry.
The Auror platform, which is already used by several retailers and UK police forces, aims to make it easier and quicker for colleagues to report security incidents. By bringing all the data and information into a single source, this simplifies the process for retailers and the police to build, manage, track, and resolve cases faster.
4. STRATACACHE powers in-store retail media push for Iceland and The Food Warehouse
Iceland Retail Media, a retail media network operated through Iceland and The Food Warehouse, is partnering with STRATACACHE to provide in-store digital signage, CMS and analytic sensor technology across 766 locations.
The tie up makes Iceland and The Food Warehouse the first European retailer to employ STRATACACHE’s Walkbase solution for precise audience attribution. The deployment of the camera free sensor solution means that the Iceland Retail Media Network will be able to accurately confirm real-time in-store advertisements impressions without a biometric indicator and fully aligned to consumer privacy best practices.
“In retail media, it’s not enough to simply run ads in-store, you have to prove impressions and conversions. The ability to measure and validate shopper impressions is what transforms retail media from guesswork into a unique, performance driven channel that delivers real value for brands and retailers,” says Chris Riegel, Founder and CEO at STRATACACHE.
“Our technology means that not only will the Iceland Retail Media team be able to accurately report performance to their brand partners but that they will also be able to gain crucial in-store insights to help serve their advertisers and customers better.”
5. Walmart and Google Gemini team on AI discovery and shopping experiences push
Walmart and Google are gearing up to launch a new experience built by Walmart and accessible directly within Gemini using the Universal Commerce Protocol.
Gemini will automatically include Walmart and Sam’s Club in-store and online products when it’s relevant. For example, when a customer asks for advice on camping equipment for the spring season, it will return items from the retailer’s inventory of products. And since people talk back and forth with Gemini, there are more opportunities to show relevant products and services throughout the conversation.
When customers discover items in Gemini, Walmart helps them move from inspiration to purchase , all within the familiar Walmart and Sam’s environments. When customers link their accounts, the retailer will recommend complementary items based on their past online and in-store purchases, combine their order with other items they’ve put in their carts, and provide all the benefits of their Walmart+ and Sam’s Club memberships.
Customers and members can get in-store and club items delivered, with hundreds of thousands of locally curated products delivered in under three hours and as fast as 30 minutes.
6. Wing and Walmart set to expand drone delivery to 150 new stores across the USA
Wing and Walmart are expanding their drone delivery service to an additional 150 Walmart stores in the US over the next year, bringing this to more than 40 million Americans.
The pair will establish a network of over 270 drone delivery locations by 2027, stretching from Los Angeles to Miami. This builds on operations in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and Metro Atlanta.
New service areas will include metropolitan hubs such as Los Angeles, St. Louis, Cincinnati, and Miami, with others to be announced at a later date. This expands on previously slated expansion markets: Houston, Orlando, Tampa, and Charlotte, which continues later this week when Wing and Walmart start operating in Houston on 15th January.
“Drone delivery plays an important role in our ability to deliver what customers want, exactly when they want it. Whether it’s a last minute ingredient for dinner or a late-night essential for a busy family, the strong adoption we’ve seen confirms that this is the future of convenience,” says Greg Cathey, Senior Vice President of Digital Fulfillment Transformation at Walmart.
“By expanding drone delivery to new major metro areas, we are helping more customers solve for their last minute needs faster than ever before.”
7. JD Sports Fashion first retailer to use commercetools and Stripe AI technology
JD Sports Fashion is using commercetools’ Agentic Jumpstart solution and Stripe’s Agentic Commerce Suite (ACS), with the former’s AI Hub acting as the connective foundation for agentic workflows.
It is the first enterprise retailer to deploy the ACS, connecting LLM powered shopping to checkout and payments, without replatforming or added complexity.
Its customers in the US will be able to purchase directly through AI platforms including Copilot (Microsoft), Gemini (Google) and ChatGPT (OpenAI).
“This agreement places JD right at the forefront of AI commerce. We want to reach customers wherever shopping decisions are happening, and make it easy for them to complete a purchase,” says Regis Schultz, Group CEO at JD Sports Fashion.
“As AI becomes a real entry point for commerce, our partnership with commercetools and Stripe will allow customers using AI for searches to find and transact with JD quicker and easier, at the click of a button through those channels, without adding complexity to our operations. This strengthens our digital proposition for customers, and keeps us moving in line with the fast changing retail landscape.”
“We see AI as a real opportunity to improve our customers’ experience with JD, as well as making our own operations more efficient, and so I’m really pleased that with this big step forward we are putting our words into action.”
8. Quorso teams with Circle K to deploy Intelligent Management in North America stores
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.”
9. Pricer partners with East of England Co-op in UK for first Avenue platform pilot
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.”
10. American Eagle Outfitters owned Quiet Logistics shutters 3PL operations
Quiet, formerly Quiet Logistics, is shutting down its 3PL operations effective immediately, according to a LinkedIn report by supply chain consultant and former Amazon executive Brittain Ladd, citing unnamed sources.
American Eagle Outfitters acquired the company in December 2021, for approximately $360 million in cash, with Jay Schottenstein, CEO, stating that the deal “cemented a collaborative partnership that has meaningfully contributed to our financial results over the past 18 months.”
He added: “AEO’s unique ability to reduce delivery costs amid rising inflation is a direct reflection of the efficiencies provided by their innovative fulfillment model. Quiet Logistics has a highly experienced supply chain leadership team and I look forward to their partnership as we continue to drive operational excellence and grow the platform into a meaningful business.”
The retailer is now, however, pivoting back to focusing on its own volume, leaving a roster of brands looking for new fulfillment homes. It’s an interesting trend. For the past few years, many major retailers have been moving to monetise their supply chain by selling it as a service.
But the reality appears to be that it’s difficult to serve third-party brands while managing your own retail volume.
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