Will Buttrey discusses stores and DCs automation progress as he ends run at BJ's Wholesale Club

Will Buttrey has announced his departure from BJ's Wholesale Club where he spent the past three years, serving as Technical Programme Manager. His CV also includes a stint at Amazon.

In a LInkedIn post, in which he did not reveal his next move, he said: "This is my last week at BJ's Wholesale Club. After almost three years with the company, my time has come to an end."

"When I joined, we did not have much when it came to automation, and I’m happy to say as I’m departing that we have a robot in every Club and a presence in our DCs as well with an automated DC under construction in Ohio.”

He added: “But what I will miss the most is the people and relationships I’ve been able to make. BJ’s is full of friendly folks and I want to thank all of you for your kindness over the past few years. I’m hanging up the helmet, but I’ll hang on to the membership card."

"I’m excited for my next step which I will share in due time. But in the near term, I will be enjoying time off, travelling a bit, and visiting friends and family. Wishing everyone at BJ’s the best of luck for the future."

Tally

Simbe's robotic autonomous shelf auditing and analytics solution, Tally, turned ten years old last year. And BJ's Wholesale Club, which has deployed the technology, took part in celebrating the milestone.

Caroline Krieger, Robotics & Automation Manager at BJ's Wholesale Club. said: "We were so happy to celebrate Tally’s milestone tenth birthday. Thank you to our partners at Simbe for having us and our members be part of such a special moment.”

“It’s inspiring to see the impact Tally has made over the past decade, and we’re excited for what the next ten years will bring. Here’s to continued collaboration and innovation."

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

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

The awards are now open for entries and 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 Wednesday, 4th November.

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.