REWE pushes checkout free shopping boundaries: last week’s biggest tech plays at a glance

RTIH rounds up the stand out retail technology deals, launches, deployments and pilots from the past seven days. Including Uber Eats, Ibotta, Beauty of Joseon, Dceathlon, Exotec, Domino's Pizza, VenHub Global, Pandora, Vusion, Studenac market, Gap Inc., Corvus Robotics, M&S, METRO, and RELEX Solutions.

EGO OFFICIAL

UK fashion brand EGO OFFICIAL has completed a full migration to BigCommerce.

In a LinkedIn post, Dan O'Reilly, Head of E-commerce at EGO OFFICIAL, said: “Migrations like this are never just about switching platforms, they touch everything: engineering, data, CRM, marketing and how the business operates day to day. A lot of work has gone in across teams to get us here.”

He added: “The goal wasn’t just a new platform, it was a better performing experience for customers. The real test is always what happens after launch, and early signs are very strong. Thanks to everyone across the business and our partners who helped deliver it. Now the focus shifts to optimisation.”

REWE

REWE has opened a Pick & Go autonomous store in Hanover, Germany, powered by Trigo technology.

In a LinkedIn post, Daniel Gabay, CEO and Co-founder at Trigo said: “Together with the REWE team, we’ve been pushing the boundaries of what a seamless, checkout-free shopping experience can look like. It’s been an incredible journey shaping the future of retail alongside partners who share our vision for a superior shopper experience.”

“One of the most rewarding aspects of this partnership is the understanding that innovation is iterative. With every new store we open, we learn, improve, and fine-tune. We are continuously tweaking the setup and the technology together to find exactly what works best for the shoppers on the ground.”

REWE Group’s Alina Maria Klueger said: “What a great moment! The opening of our Pick&Go store in the Lister Meile in Hanover was not only another milestone - it was above all a result of real teamwork, enthusiasm and an impressive dose of verve.”

She added: “A huge thank you to all colleagues, partners and supporters who contributed with their expertise, commitment and energy to successfully get this project off the ground. Your commitment - from the initial idea to implementation on site - has shown what is possible when everyone pulls together. I am proud to be part of this team and look forward to everything we will achieve together. Here's to many more innovative steps in the future!”

Uber Eats

Ibotta has announced a partnership with Uber Technologies to deliver its digital promotions across Uber’s grocery and retail ecosystem in the United States.

“Our exclusive partnership with Uber makes it easier for brands to connect with consumers in a competitive marketplace,” says Bryan Leach, Founder and CEO at Ibotta. “By putting offers directly into the Uber ecosystem, we are placing high value savings in the palms of millions. Our partners now have a front-row seat to where their customers shop, ride, and eat - allowing them to influence the sale right when the customer is ready to buy.”

Beauty of Joseon

THG Commerce, a solution from THG Ingenuity, has announced a partnership with K-beauty brand, Beauty of Joseon, for its official UK TikTok Shop launch.

Following success in the US market, the TikTok Shop expansion into the UK kicked off on 30th January. 

The brand's entry into the UK market in social commerce has been supported by promotional activities including an exclusive Beauty Crush event on 23rd January, where a group of affiliate creators were introduced to and gifted the full shade selection of their hero product, the Daily Tinted Fluid Sunscreen.

This was followed by a dedicated K-beauty brand highlight during Beauty Crush week, from 9th - 14th February.

M&S

M&S reports that it is giving its store managers and support centre colleagues AI and Agentic AI tools, with the aim of making tasks like accessing data and analysis quicker and simpler, freeing up time to focus on customers and colleagues.

The retailer is purchasing 11,000 Microsoft 365 Copilot licences, supported by a training and development programme. A partnership with Microsoft is supporting the use of AI at scale across the organisation.

M&S CEO Stuart Machin says: “We’re already embedding AI across M&S - supporting stock forecasting and ordering, generating marketing materials, and powering a colleague help hub with AI agents. Now 11,000 colleagues will have AI support at their fingertips, pulling together summaries from multiple sources and giving them the data, analytics and insights they need in seconds.”

“As we reshape M&S for growth, scaling the use of AI is central to our technology transformation and today's announcement is just one of the steps forward on that journey."

REWE

REWE, a supermarket chain in Germany and the main brand of REWE Group, has launched a new Drive&Go pick up service in two pilot stores.

In a LinkedIn post, Clemens Uwe Bauer, Director of E-commerce at REWE, said:  “Your purchase. In three minutes. Without getting out. With Drive&Go, we are launching our new drive-in pick-up service. The first two pilot stores have been launched in the West, with a third to follow.”

Customers can order online, select a time slot, drive to a store, scan a QR code and the order will be delivered to their car within three minutes.

Bauer commented: “Sounds like a nice feature? It's more time for you and for us the next step in our omnichannel strategy. E-food is diverse. And the numbers prove us right: If customers also use an online channel, they reward us with loyalty. Omnichannel is not a buzzword, it's the business model.”

“Retailers often discuss the last mile. The Drive&Go in Euskirchen shows: E-food is not only home delivery, but also smart handover on site. We pilot, learn, scale - and consistently expand the technological infrastructure for this.”

Decathlon

Exotec, a specialist in robotic solutions for warehouse logistics, has announced the deployment of a multi-site programme called Skyfleet for Decathlon.

This spans seven logistics platforms across five European countries: France, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Italy, and Germany.

After deploying its first Skypod robotic system at its Tilburg site in 2021, Decathlon chose to expand the partnership with a project that involved standardising store replenishment across the European continent.

Exotec developed a dedicated programme built on a harmonised, replicable, and scalable architecture; one that enables the roll-out of a standardised model while still adapting to each site’s specific requirements.

At every Decathlon site, Exotec integrates additional automated equipment to optimise intralogistics processes: automatic depalletisers, automated carton opening machines, RFID tunnels, automatic palletisers etc.

The Skyfleet programme has improved working conditions for Decathlon warehouse teams. For example, at the Northampton (UK) site, a picker would walk 10km per day, but within the new programme, they now walk just 1km per day. The number of workplace incidents related to order preparation has also sharply decreased, from one per 5.000 to 1 per 10.000.

The implementation has also enabled most Skyfleet sites to increase the number of Decathlon stores they supply. This is the case, for example, in Ferrières (France), now supplying 73 stores vs 37 previously, and in Setúbal (Portugal), which now supplies 73 stores vs 41 previously.

Uber Eats and Starship Technologies

Uber Eats and Starship Technologies are launching autonomous robot deliveries to 50,000 households in Sheffield.

This builds on a roll-out in Leeds last year. As part of the launch, Brits will also be able to submit their own 15-30 second long recordings of the track that the robots will play on the delivery to customers, for up to a month. 

The nationwide search runs until 30th April, with Uber Eats unveiling the winning track and its composer in May. The composer will bag a cash prize of £3,000 and a year’s supply of Uber Eats credits. Anyone in the UK is encouraged to submit their jingle - including choirs, schools and social clubs - so long as the applying representative is over 18 years old. 

"Our robots have been a much loved part of daily life for communities across the UK since 2018: picking up shopping, dropping off essentials, there when people need them. Cutting out the short car trips that add up, our robots have already saved over 500,000 kg of emissions across Europe. We're proud to bring that everyday convenience to 50,000 people in Sheffield, making robot deliveries just another normal part of the day,” says Ahti Heinla, CEO and Co-founder at Starship.

"We’ve already proven that robots are a key part of the future of efficient, high tech delivery," says Merve Basci, General Manager at Uber Eats in the UK. "Now, we want to see if they can hold a tune. This moment is about more than just innovation; it’s about bringing a bit of unexpected joy to our customers’ doorsteps. Whether it’s a power ballad or a catchy hit, we’re letting the nation compose the soundtrack to their next takeaway."

Circa Resort & Casino

VenHub Global and Circa Resort & Casino have announced a partnership that will bring the former’s autonomous smart store offering to the latter’s guests. Measuring 66 feet x 10 feet by 10 feet, the installation will debut at Circa Resort later this spring.

Circa will introduce what is pitched as a first of its kind retail attraction comprised of three VenHub autonomous smart stores customised into a single, integrated, and continuously operating solution.

This will give guests the ability to autonomously browse and purchase food, snacks, alcohol, and smokeless tobacco products at any hour, without wait times, checkout lines etc.

“We’re always looking for ways to stay on the forefront of what’s next and deliver experiences our guests can’t find anywhere else,” says Derek Stevens, Founder and CEO, Circa Resort & Casino.

“This is more than a retail concept, it is a one of a kind attraction that brings together cutting-edge technology, convenience, and entertainment in a way that’s unique to Circa. Just like Stadium Swim and The World’s Largest Sportsbook, this is about creating a true destination moment, and we’re excited to partner with VenHub to introduce something entirely new to Las Vegas.”

Domino's Pizza

Domino’s Pizza launched its Tracker solution in 2008, and now the pizza company is tapping AI technology to provide an improved customer experience.

“For 18 years, we’ve been providing customers with the ability to track every step of their order, from when it’s placed to when it’s being made, placed in the oven and then ready for pickup or delivery,” says Mark Messing, Domino’s Vice President of Global Digital Marketing.

“Domino’s was one of the first to launch what has become the gold standard in customer convenience across numerous industries. Tracker is a beloved technology, and we’re excited to have made it an even better experience for customers.”

Pandora

Hardis Supply Chain has announced a partnership with Pandora to support a warehouse management system (WMS) transformation project. The initiative is helping the jewellery retailer modernise and standardise warehouse operations across regions as part of a broader, end-to-end supply chain transformation.

Pandora has embarked on a programme spanning ERP, WMS, TMS, and global visibility platforms to support growth, sustainability goals, and an increasingly digital retail ecosystem.

With a complex global footprint that includes crafting facilities and distribution centres in Thailand, Europe, and North America, alongside an extensive third-party logistics (3PL) network, the company says that it required a scalable, flexible foundation capable of orchestrating operations across regions and channels.

“We needed a partner that would flex with us,” says Dawn Swackhamer, Vice President of Global Operations & Planning Technology at Pandora. “The big names can be rigid and don’t offer customization. Hardis was willing to configure and customise to meet our unique needs, and they do it very well.”

Hardis WMS is being deployed globally in phases, beginning with Europe and Thailand, with expansion planned next for Pandora’s North America distribution centre in the summer.

“Having a partner that understood our business in great detail made all the difference,” Swackhamer says. “Together, we designed, built, and tested something that truly worked for us.”

InPost UK and The FA

InPost UK has partnered with The Football Association (The FA) to offer England football accredited grassroots clubs the chance to host its parcel lockers at their facilities. 

The pair will provide guidance and supporting materials that clubs can adapt locally, with the aim of allowing them to create campaigns that reflect the needs of their own players, volunteers and neighbourhoods while driving increased engagement with the club throughout the week.

An initial cohort of clubs has begun early engagement to explore how lockers can integrate into their facilities and support local activation. The programme will be promoted directly to The FA’s network of affiliated clubs and county FAs.

Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits

Corvus Robotics and Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits have announced a technology partnership and expanded deployment of the Corvus One autonomous inventory management system across Southern Glazer’s distribution network.

Over the past 18 months, it has deployed more than 40 Corvus One autonomous drones across nine distribution centres in the US, with expansion planned.

Corvus One operates within warehouse environments, autonomously flying aisles to scan and validate reserve storage locations without disrupting case picking operations. According to Corvus Robotics, the result is hands free, high frequency inventory audits that sync directly with Southern Glazer’s WMS, freeing the team to focus on higher value tasks. The system has completed approximately 5,000 flights and identified over 35,000 verified discrepancies across deployed facilities.

Kanzen Skincare

What is pitched as the largest TikTok Shop livestream event in Europe took place on Friday (27th March) on London’s Oxford Street. Kanzen Studios alongside six other brands brought the world of TikTok Shop into the Future Stores physical retail space.

The Future Stores venue hosted continuous TikTok Shop livestreams - offering hours of shoppable, real-time content directly to online audiences. Passersby could catch the action through the windows, while QR codes on-site provided instant access to the live streams.

“Live shopping is redefining how people discover and buy products online,” says Matthew Bellingham & Päivi Korvela, Directors at Kanzen Studios. “By bringing TikTok Shop livestreaming into a real-world retail space on Oxford Street, we show what the future of shopping looks like, where social media, brands and commerce all come together.”

Engin Celikbas, Managing Director EMEA at Future Stores, comments: “Retail spaces are no longer just places to display product. They are becoming platforms for attention, content and conversion. This takeover shows what happens when a storefront becomes a live media channel, and why the next chapter of retail will belong to formats that blend physical presence with digital commerce.”

Various

Businesses and food charities have teamed up to pilot what is pitched as a first of a kind AI solution to visualise food waste, reduce it and redistribute unavoidable surplus to people - the equivalent of 499,863 meals. This has supported an estimated 94,133 people across hundreds of charities and organisations.

In 2021, UK food manufacturers generated just under 2.1 million tonnes of food waste and surplus. While manufacturers seek greater visibility to pinpoint these losses, redistribution organisations increasingly rely on this for high quality food surplus.

Over the last 16 months, a nine partner consortium has piloted Zest's AI led solutions, built on Google Cloud that addressed this challenge. The project was funded through a £1.9 million match funded BridgeAI grant from Innovate UK. The scope, feasibility and benefits of these solutions were tested by Bristol Superlight, Company Shop Group, FareShare, FuturePlus, Howard Tenens, Nestlé UK&I, Sustainable Ventures and Zest.

According to those involved, the pilot demonstrated the power of AI in connecting siloed data points using a Nestlé manufacturing line to map where exactly food waste and surplus is generated in real-time, and identifying actions to reduce and redistribute it.

Early comparisons indicate potential for AI to improve speed, accuracy, consistency and predictability of data analysis versus manual waste assessment. During the project, Zest trialled its solutions with a number of other food manufacturers. In one trial, the AI led process halved the speed of the manual process, and quadrupled the amount of food surplus identified and redistributed.

By applying AI optimised algorithms, Zest’s redistribution platform matched unavoidable edible surplus from four Nestlé sites with the real-time demand and capacity of Company Shop Group and FareShare. Logistics partner Howard Tenens tracked and fulfilled these surplus deliveries, providing the physical infrastructure to move food safely from Nestlé sites to FareShare's network. 

INTERSPAR

Vusion, a specialist in AI powered digitalisation solutions for physical commerce, has announced a partnership with grocery retailer INTERSPAR. The subsidiary of SPAR Österreichische Warenhandels will deploy its solutions across INTERSPAR and Maximarkt stores in Austria.

With the Vusion platform, INTERSPAR now manages pricing and promotions centrally across all stores, eliminating manual updates and speeding up execution with accuracy. To meet the communication needs of different product categories, it uses a range of Vusion’s electronic shelf labels (ESL).

Larger displays are especially effective in fresh areas like bakery and delicatessen, where clear visibility of ingredients, allergens or promotional messages is essential. This setup ensures customers always see accurate, up-to-date information at the shelf.

The technology also enables shop-in-shop systems, such as those operated by SPAR Group's meat and sausage manufacturer TANN in INTERSPAR stores, to control their price and product communication independently.

“After rolling out Vusion’s electronic shelf labels in 27 INTERSPAR hypermarkets, we are planning to deploy around 20 additional locations this year. The four-colour ESLs provide accurate price and product information, while colored frames, for example for organic products, offer additional guidance. Our employees benefit from faster processes, giving them more time for personalised customer service,” says Johannes Holzleitner, Managing Director of INTERSPAR Austria.

FedEx

FedEx has announced the roll-out of FedEx SameDay Local, a rapid and same-day delivery offering.

“We’re supporting our customers in pushing the boundaries of their value proposition around speed and convenience,” says Jason Brenner, Senior Vice President, Digital Portfolio at FedEx. “FedEx SameDay Local will provide our customers with a scaled solution to give the delivery options customers want, without adding complexity to their operations - all backed by the confidence of working with FedEx.”

In collaboration with OneRail, a last mile delivery solution company, the service will let shoppers choose two-hour or end-of-day delivery directly at checkout. It will connect FedEx customers to a US wide network of more than 1,000 delivery providers. Orders are then automatically matched to the appropriate vehicle and driver, dispatched, and tracked with live updates from pickup to delivery.

“Retailers should embrace FedEx SameDay Local, instead of trying to build and operate their own delivery service. No one is better at logistics and last mile deliveries than FedEx. Think big!,” says Brittain Ladd, a supply chain consultant and former Amazon executive.

Gap Inc.

Gap Inc., the parent company of Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta, has introduced two new AI technologies designed to boost the online shopping experience for its customers.

Built on Google Cloud data, these are personalised fit guidance from Bold Metrics’ Agent Sizing Protocol and support for Google’s new Universal Commerce Protocol (UCP), in a bid to enable more seamless conversational and agentic commerce experiences. 

“We are not pursuing AI for novelty,” says Sven Gerjets, Chief Technology Officer, Gap Inc. “These partnerships are about solving real customer problems - helping shoppers feel confident about fit and making it easier to complete a purchase. They also reflect the holistic AI strategy we’ve built to scale intelligence across the enterprise in a disciplined way that drives measurable value over time.” 

METRO

METRO has selected RELEX Solutions to enhance its forecasting and replenishment capabilities as part of the wholesaler’s Ultra Fresh initiative, aimed at improving product freshness, reducing waste, and streamlining operations across 540 stores and 70 distribution centres (DCs). 

This will see them work alongside Accenture to pair the company’s delivery, advisory, and industry experience, with RELEX’s AI driven technology.

METRO serves hotels, restaurants, caterers, and independent merchants. It supports its customers through a multi-channel model, via large local wholesale stores or order via delivery through its food service distribution network. METRO’s Ultra Fresh initiative aims to unify replenishment processes across fresh categories and regions, creating a consistent, data driven planning model that ensures fresher products, better availability and less waste.  

“Ultra-fresh categories require accuracy, speed, and collaboration across the supply chain,” says Alexander Stepannikov, Head of Supplier Collaboration & Ultra-fresh Ordering, METRO. Working with RELEX gives us the visibility and flexibility to make smarter daily decisions, improving freshness and reducing waste so we can serve customers with confidence.” 

Studenac market

Croatia's largest retailer, Studenac market, has officially opened its new 23,000 sq m logistics facility in Dugopolje.

Key features include significantly larger and more modern spaces and a higher rack height of 12 metres, fully centralised processes and an optimised layout with a larger number of loading and unloading ramps. Its WMS and TMS systems enable the retailer to maximise the efficiency of warehouse operations, better volume planning and accurate tracking of deliveries.

In a LinkedIn post, Studenac market said: "We are proud that 260 of our employees will soon work in this modern and sustainable centre, equipped with its own solar power plant, who will supply 700 stores throughout Dalmatia every day. Although the technology and squares are impressive, the real heart of this centre is still them - our people who connect Studenac with their customers on a daily basis."

The Galmont Hotel & Spa, Galway

Mercury Retail Services is laying claim to the launch of Ireland's first autonomous store with age estimation at The Galmont Hotel & Spa, Galway.

In a LinkedIn post, Felim Meade, Sales Consultant at Mercury Retail Services, said: "This cutting-edge technology enables 24-hour retail operations with minimal customer facing labour costs. We extend our gratitude to our partners in Sweden, HonestBox, as well as Millimetre Design for the design concept, MHL Hotel Collection for their vision  and Johnston Shopfitters."

He added: "A special thanks goes to Alexandre Petrou at The Galmont Hotel for his dedication in bringing this project to fruition. We invite those in retail or technology to visit The Galmont Hotel, Galway, to experience firsthand how effortless autonomous retail can be."