Hagar says thanks and Edikted hits London: RTIH rounds up this week's biggest retail technology stories

It's Thursday, the Easter 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 StrongPoint, Iceland Foods, Manna Air Delivery, Aldi USA, Instacart, Kingfisher, Walmart Mexico, Vusion, Scotmid Co-op, and Groupe Dynamite.

1. Grocery technology provider StrongPoint inks Order Picking deal with UK retailer Iceland Foods

StrongPoint reports that British retailer Iceland Foods has signed an agreement to trial its SaaS based Order Picking solution to fulfil all grocery e commerce orders, including both scheduled deliveries and quick commerce orders.

The project will begin with a planned proof of value phase in 2026, with a broader roll-out to follow subject to satisfactory results of the proof of value phase.

“We are extremely proud that another major grocery retailer has chosen StrongPoint for its grocery e‑commerce operations. It is a strong validation of our world class Order Picking solution, and we are proud to support Iceland Foods. We look forward to delivering efficiency savings to the grocery retailer and helping them grow their e‑commerce business while providing simpler operations for their store staff,” says Jacob Tveraabak, CEO at StrongPoint.

2. Peter Ash departs Tata Consultancy Services to take on in-store innovation role at Marks & Spencer

Peter Ash has joined Marks and Spencer as Senior Head of Product - Retail.

He was previously at Tata Consultancy Services where he served as Retail Product Strategy & Customer Success Director. His CV also includes stnts at Royal Mail and Kingfisher.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: "Excited to share that I’ve joined the amazing M&S business as the Senior Head of Product for Retail (Stores). I’m looking forward to working with great Digital, Tech & Retail colleagues to drive our in-store innovation, enhance the customer experience, and improve operational performance - delivering meaningful impact for both our customers and colleagues in our stores."

3. Manna Air Delivery soars with $50 million Series B round and plans to expand in United States

Manna Air Delivery, a specialist in consumer drone delivery, has announced a $50 million funding round to expand its operations in the United States and Europe.

This brings its total funding to $110 million. Manna lays claim to one of the most active consumer drone delivery networks in the world, with more than 250,000 regulated commercial UAV flights completed.

Investors in the round include ARK Invest, known for backing companies such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Tesla and SpaceX, the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) and Schooner Capital, alongside existing supporters Coca-Cola HBC and Molten Ventures.

4. Groupe Dynamite taps Manhattan Associates technology for Garage Clothing Oxford Street store

Fashion retailer Groupe Dynamite has opened a flagship store on Oxford Street, London, powered by Manhattan Associates technology.

In a LinkedIn post, David Stevens, Chief Technology Officer at Groupe Dynamite, said: "Another big milestone achieved in our journey. Today (Friday, 27th March) we opened up our Garage Clothing UK flagship on Oxford Street."

"The store looks fantastic and I'm excited about the technology that the team installed in the store including two storey video screens, Manhattan Associates mobile checkout, RFID to track inventory in real-time and more. A fantastic job by the store opening team, easily the best in the business! Looking forward to visiting the store at the end of April when I speak at Retail Technology Show 2026."

5. US fashion brand Edikted opens Carnaby Street London store and makes European debut

Shaftesbury Capital reports that US fashion brand Edikted has opened its flagship store at 52-55 Carnaby Street, London, marking the brand’s first standalone physical location in Europe. This comes as Italian fashion brand Subdued commits to an upsized space at 14–18 Foubert’s Place, at the northern end of Carnaby Street.

Spanning 4,800 sq ft, this is Edikted’s first bricks and mortar location outside of the United States.

William Oliver, Director of Retail & Restaurant Leasing at Shaftesbury Capital, says: “Welcoming another UK debut reinforces Carnaby Street and Soho’s reputation as one of Europe’s most influential fashion destinations.”

“Carnaby Street provides brands like Edikted with the perfect opportunity to reach a broad, trend-savvy audience, while complementing its line-up of distinctive brands that each have huge pull. Subdued’s expansion also highlights Soho’s role as a launchpad for brands to flourish in the UK market, because it has everything a digitally native brand needs to translate online presence into bricks and mortar success.”

Mina Fam, Head of Retail at Edikted, comments: “Carnaby Street is one of London’s busiest and most iconic shopping streets, making it the ideal location for our first European store. This opening allows us to bring something exclusive to UK customers, offering a carefully curated range of apparel and accessories they can’t find anywhere else. Surrounded by standout brands and a style conscious audience, we’re able to build on the success we’ve achieved in the US, while establishing Edikted as a must visit brand in Europe.”

6. Aldi USA taps Instacart grocery retail technology for upgraded website and mobile app launch

Aldi USA has worked with Instacart on the launch of a redesigned website and mobile app. The aim here is to offer a more seamless, personalised way for customers to shop products online, powered by Instacart's Storefront Pro platform and fulfillment solutions.

Instacart first began powering fulfillment for Aldi USA in 2019, and is now the retailer's exclusive fulfillment partner across its website and app.

"Aldi is known for offering their customers incredible value, and we're proud to partner with them to make sure that value translates seamlessly into their digital experience," says Ryan Hamburger, Vice President of Commercial Partnerships at Instacart.

"What makes this partnership special is that it goes beyond e-commerce. By combining Storefront Pro and fulfillment into one integrated platform, we're helping Aldi USA. scale faster while preserving everything that makes their brand special. We're proud to deepen our partnership and support their continued expansion across the US."

7. Walmart Mexico selects Vusion EdgeSense technology to power connected store initiative

Walmart de México y Centroamérica, the largest retailer in Mexico, is expanding its collaboration with Vusion to deploy the EdgeSense connected store platform across its Walmart Express stores and begin the transformation of its Supercenter fleet.

This initiative builds on a global collaboration between the pair, following the deployment of Vusion’s connected store technologies across Walmart US stores.

Under this agreement, Walmart Express stores will be fully deployed with EdgeSense technology by the end of 2026, marking the first large scale roll-out of the platform in Latin America. Following this phase, Walmart Mexico also plans to expand the deployment to Walmart Supercenters.

Across the initial deployment, Walmart Express stores will be equipped with more than 1.7 million electronic shelf labels and over 180,000 EdgeSense smart rails. Walmart Mexico will also begin a pilot deployment in its Bodega format, evaluating how EdgeSense technology can support additional store formats as part of the company’s long-term connected store strategy.

8. B&Q owner Kingfisher brings in retail technology veteran Eve Henrikson as Non-Executive Director

European home improvement retailer Kingfisher has announced the appointment of Eve Henrikson to its board of directors as a Non-Executive Director, effective 1st September.

Henrikson is currently Senior Vice President of Trips at Booking.com, responsible for the expansion and growth of travel beyond accommodations, overseeing global teams including strategy, commercial, product and technology.

She was previously Regional General Manager at Uber Eats, leading the Uber Delivery business across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and prior to that, held various roles at Tesco, including Managing Director, Online. She is also Non-Executive Director at Sonae, a Euronext listed portfolio business.

Claudia Arney, Chair of Kingfisher's board, says: "Eve brings significant expertise in managing consumer-facing digital enterprises across the retail and technology sectors. Given the strategic importance of e-commerce to our business, we are delighted to welcome someone of Eve's calibre and experience to the board. We look forward to her contributions to the work of the board as weexecute our strategic priorities."

9. Icelandic retailer Hagar connects with PassEntry tech for launch of Takk digital loyalty programme

PassEntry has launched Takk (Thank You), a new digital loyalty programme for Hagar, Iceland’s largest retail group and operator of the Bónus, Hagkaup, and Olis grocery, hypermarket, and fuel brands.

This is powered by PassEntry’s proprietary PassTap module and integrates with Hagar’s existing Point of Sale infrastructure. The launch was supported by a national media campaign across print, digital, outdoor and television in Iceland.

When a customer taps their phone at a payment terminal, loyalty is triggered instantly - no apps to open or QR codes to scan. Security is driven by the phone’s own biometrics, meaning no additional password required. 

Rewards are earned and redeemed in real-time during checkout, with points either saved for future use or spent immediately as part of the same transaction. The entire experience runs directly on the payment terminals - whether manned or self-serve. Digital loyalty passes are issued directly into Apple Wallet and Google Wallet.

Hagar says that, within five days of the launch date, more than 15% of Iceland's adult population had joined the loyalty programme.

Nico Cary, Co-Founder and CTO at PassEntry, says: “Takk marks a breakthrough moment for loyalty. By issuing wallet native passes that activate directly at the payment terminal, Hagar is delivering a truly frictionless experience. With PassEntry enabling the transaction layer, loyalty becomes a natural extension of paying - tap to pay, tap to earn, tap to redeem.”

10. Convenience retailer Scotmid Co-op announces investment in 4POS assisted checkout solution

Scotmid Co-op is rolling out assisted/hybrid checkout solutions as the convenience retailer looks to improve loss prevention and reduce theft (walk-offs).

The investment in its store tech and checkout solutions from 4POS has also reduced checkout friction for customers, with dual screens allowing colleagues to step in and offer assistance to reduce shopper wait times, minimise queues and support sales. 

The roll-out is now live in 90% of its Food stores (~160 stores) as well as locations across its discount health and beauty brand, Semichem (~63 stores). 

“We were particularly impressed by the modular approach,” says Allan Robertson, Procurement & Sustainability Manager at Scotmid Co-op.

“The fact that the same core hardware could be used across traditional tills and self-checkout solutions created real flexibility, allowing us to model different store configurations and future-proof the estate. The relationship developed quickly, and from the outset it felt like a partnership and a joined up team.”