Pizza delivery by air, anyone?: bringing you last week’s biggest retail technology plays at a glance

RTIH rounds up the stand out retail technology deals, launches, deployments and pilots from the past seven days. Including Little Caesars, Lekkerland, Clarks, VF Corporation, Heron Foods, VoCoVo, Søstrene Grene, Mountain Warehouse, The Home Depot, Migros, and Sobeys.

Little Caesars

Flytrex and Little Caesars are partnering to expand drone delivery with a new drone capable of delivering dinner for an entire family. Powered by Flytrex’s new Sky2 drone, the service now enables customers to receive two large pizzas and sodas in a single delivery, pitched as a first for on-demand food delivery by air.

Sky2 makes this possible by carrying up to 8.8 pounds, the largest carrying capacity of any food delivery drone available today, those involved claim With a range of up to four miles and support for remote pickups directly from restaurant locations, the idea is that orders are collected faster and arrive hotter, arriving in an average of 4.5 minutes from takeoff to delivery.

"Flytrex is laser focused on making on-demand food delivery by drone a reality for everyday families,” says Amit Regev, CEO and Co-founder ar Flytrex. “A big part of advancing this market is making sure people can get the food they actually want, when they want it. Until now, drones simply weren't capable of delivering a full family meal.”

“The Sky2 changes that. This partnership with Little Caesars expands what drone delivery can do and better meets customers’ expectations, which will drive real, lasting adoption of this technology."

Lekkerland

Lekkerland, a subsidairy of the Rewe Group, has opened a new Rewe To Go store at Frankfurt Airport in Germany. This can be found at the new Terminal 3.

It features eight self-checkouts and is open from Monday to Sunday, 5am to midnight.

“With this launch, we are part of one of the most exciting infrastructure projects in Germany. The new Terminal 3 stands for the future, internationality and a modern travel experience. I am all the more pleased that we as Rewe To Go are represented right here,” says Lekkerland’s Michael Mayer-Sonnenburg.

“This location is much more than just a new opening for us. It shows how flexible and relevant modern local supply must be today, exactly where people are on the move. Whether passengers, visitors or the many employees at the airport, we are there when things have to go fast. With fresh products, strong services and a concept that is consistently geared towards convenience.”

POCO

POCO, a German furniture and home improvement discounter, has gone live with Infios Warehouse Management (WM) at its Trebbin logistics centre. The deployment marks the first milestone in a multi-site programme to standardise and modernise supply chain execution across POCO’s nationwide logistics network.

A second site will follow in 2026, with the remaining locations implemented using reusable templates and industry specific configurations.

“Infios Warehouse Management delivers the execution intelligence needed to run complex, multi-channel supply chains at scale,” says Dirk Teschner, Senior Vice President and Managing Director at Infios. “For POCO, we have configured the solution to reflect the operational DNA of the furniture industry - particularly the precise co-ordination required for multi-package product handling.”

Superdrug

Hanshow has notched up a milestone in its digital store collaboration with Superdrug.

In a LinkedIn post, Hanshow said: “As Superdrug continues to strengthen execution and consistency across its store estate, in‑store digitalisation has become a key enabler. Through this partnership, we are supporting Superdrug with a scalable digital shelf infrastructure built on our ESLs.”

The roll-out is progressing in phases. As of 2025, 51 stores were live, with a further 90 locations planned for roll-out in 2026, including new store openings. Upon completion, the programme will span more than 1.7 million ESL units across the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Beyond the shop floor, the solution also supports back of store workflows, including pick by light operations, helping teams work faster and more efficiently.

Hanshow concluded: “Big congratulations to the Superdrug team on this next step in their digital journey. We’re proud to support their disciplined, long‑term approach to modernising store operations, and excited to keep building together.”

K-Supermarket

K-Supermarket is piloting a talking AI assistant on digital billboards across three cities in Finland. Passersby can walk up, speak, and get personalised recipe ideas.

It is launching what is claimed to be the world’s first interactive public digital display that holds a two-way voice conversation with passersby.

The animated “Lil’ shop assistant” appears on shopping mall out-of-home screens in Helsinki, Lappeenranta, and Tampere, ready to suggest recipe ideas tailored to each person’s wishes.

While conversational screens have appeared in limited trials in parts of Asia and at select US events, this is the first known deployment in an open public space, with a voice driven AI assistant embedded in existing digital outdoor advertising infrastructure.

“We want to make everyday cooking easier in all kinds of ways and now we’re piloting a completely new kind of assistant to help with that. We’re genuinely excited to be part of developing this groundbreaking technology that offers real, tangible value in people’s daily lives,” says Milla Sorsakivi, Marketing Director at K-Supermarket.

The Home Depot

The Home Depot has announced new AI powered phone agents designed to get customers the help they need faster. Built on Google Cloud's Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience, these allow customers to skip phone menus and get straight to solving their home improvement problems through natural conversation.

Now, when calling a Home Depot store, customers can state the reason for their call in their own words. The new system is designed to understand what they need help with immediately, while ensuring they always have the option to speak directly with a human associate. Real-time translations also enable support for customers in any language.

According to early results from a 50-store pilot, AI voice agents understand why a customer is calling in fewer than 10 seconds, getting them to a solution four times faster than navigating traditional phone menus. Additionally, Home Depot associates in the pilot also reported higher job satisfaction, with more time to focus on in-store shoppers.

Lacoste

Mirakl Connect, an AI powered omnichannel selling solution, has been selected by Lacoste to accelerate its growth on major fashion marketplaces, including Galeries Lafayette and El Corte Inglés.

"Lacoste needed a technology partner capable of helping us reach new audiences while strengthening our omnichannel approach, ensuring the consistency of our brand experience across every channel, and preparing us for the future evolution of commerce, notably the rise of agentic commerce. Mirakl Connect stood out as the most technically advanced solution on   the market. Our ambition is to make marketplaces one of the key growth drivers for Lacoste," says Thomas Voisin dit Lacroix, Chief Digital Officer at Lacoste.

Clarks

Marketplacer reports that it is the platform behind the newly launched Clarks Marketplace, enabling the  footwear brand to expand its digital offering through curated third-party selling.

Jason Wyatt, CEO at Marketplacer, says: "This partnership is a strong example of how iconic brands can embrace a marketplace strategy to unlock growth without compromising identity. Clarks maintains complete control over the customer experience while benefitting from increased range, flexibility, and collaboration with carefully selected sellers. We're proud to power this next chapter."

Joe Ulloa, Clarks President, UK & EU, says: "The new Clarks Marketplace is a natural evolution of our digital strategy, expanding our offering while staying true to our brand. By working with partners who align with our values, we can offer greater choice without compromising the quality and experience customers expect. Partnering with Marketplacer has enabled us to enter this new phase with confidence."

VF Corporation

Nedap has announced a partnership with VF Corporation, a specialist in apparel, footwear and equipment whose portfolio of brands includes The North Face, Vans and Timberland.

As part of this, VF Corporation will deploy the Nedap Inventory Engine across its brand portfolio and 1,500+ stores. The deployment starts in Q2-2026 with The North Face and will expand to additional VF brands over time.

The partnership supports its ambition to create a single view of stock, built on a single, trusted view on inventory across its operations. With the Inventory Engine, it aims to enhance stock accuracy, improve product availability and strengthen omnichannel performance across all regions.

In addition to the store roll-out, VF has expanded the initiative into its distribution channels, enhancing visibility and supporting efforts to address grey market activities and strengthen brand protection.

“Our consumers expect the same level of product availability and service whether they shop online, in-store or through any of our brand touchpoints,’ says Carsten Trenz, VP of Digital at VF Corporation.

“Unified visibility across our operations allows us to deliver that consistency and build long term customer loyalty.”

Hope Waldron, VP of Supply Chain Strategy, VF Corporation, says: “Extending our RFID program beyond stores to include distribution centres and vendor partners at the source gives us greater transparency across our entire supply chain. That visibility improves our ability to ensure product availability, strengthen brand protection, and deliver a more consistent consumer experience.”

Fnac Darty

Fluent Commerce, a provider of order management solutions, has announced the deployment of its technology by French retailer, Fnac Darty.

This is part of a push to modernise its information system, named HORIZON, and within the framework of the execution of its Beyond Everyday strategic plan.

By 2030, Fnac Darty aims to consolidate its omnichannel model, strengthen its positioning in terms of customer experience, and continue the development of its value added services. In a context of growing omnichannel usage, Fluent Commerce will provide Fnac Darty with a platform capable of orchestrating and automating the entire order lifecycle, regardless of the sales channels (e-commerce, stores, or marketplaces).

The implementation of a unified order management system (OMS), led and executed by VISEO, will make it possible to centralise data and provide a consolidated, real-time view of inventory, product availability, and order status.

Migros

Just Eat Takeaway.com Switzerland is teaming up with Migros, bringing over 10,000 grocery, household and everyday essentials to customers, delivered in under 60 minutes.

The service is launching first in Geneva, Valais and Ticino.

Lukas Streich, Managing Director at Just Eat Switzerland, says: “Hardly any brand is as deeply rooted in Swiss culture as Migros, with its rich history, iconic cult products, and its role as the number one retailer in Switzerland. The partnership with this institution takes our goal - to deliver the right product at any time - to a completely new level.”

Søstrene Grene

Danish retailer Søstrene Grene is set to roll-out ReceiptHero’s digital receipt technology across its network of stores.

The brand, known for its affordable home accessories and design led retail concept, has piloted the solution in Denmark, with a broader roll-out now in progress.

At the core of the initiative is ReceiptHero’s card linking technology, which allows shoppers to automatically receive digital receipts after paying in-store. Customers can connect their payment card and have receipts delivered instantly, removing the need for paper copies.

For those not using the retailer’s mobile app, people can access their receipt by tapping their phone on an NFC enabled terminal at checkout, opening the receipt directly in a mobile browser without requiring a download.

Through the new setup, Søstrene Grene can prompt customers to opt in to marketing communications or encourage app downloads at the Point of Sale. It says the initiative is designed to strengthen long-term customer relationships while also supporting more personalised in-store experiences when shoppers return.

JB Hi-Fi

Broadsign reports that Australian consumer electronics retailer JB Hi-Fi is deploying its platform to build and scale its in-store retail media network (RMN), which spans over 200 stores across the country.

“We’re seeing strong interest in retail media from advertisers and brands who want to reach local audiences where purchase intent is high. We already had the screens to deliver in-store, and now with Broadsign, we have access to the same advertising toolset that major media owners use, and the ability to scale,” says Gary Siewert, Director of Marketing and E-commerce, JB Hi-Fi.

“Broadsign’s open API has also proved more valuable, allowing us to select the partners we want to work with as we build our omnichannel RMN, such as Retail Media Works and Criteo.”   

VoCoVo

VoCoVo has announced the launch of the VoCoVo AI Gateway, a solution that enables retailers to securely integrate their existing AI directly into the company’s ecosystem. It says that this connection between AI platforms and in-store colleagues enables retailers to create their own digital assistants. 

With the AI Gateway, colleagues get AI driven insights delivered in real-time through their headset. With two-way communication, colleagues can ask questions hands-free on the shop floor and receive instant responses.

The solution is also AI agnostic, which enables retailers to connect with whichever AI tools they are using today or into the future. Data security is core to its approach, with retailers retaining ownership of all their own data.

Designed to meet strict security requirements, it eliminates the need to share data with third parties. VoCoVo says it provides a secure, security by design link between store colleagues and the retailer’s AI, with no data stored, processed or used for any purpose other than for secure transmission between the solution and the team’s headsets.

Conversations are private and protected by advanced encryption, in line with data protection and governance requirements. This new capability - delivered by the Series 5 Pro Headset - is informed directly by feedback from VoCoVo’s retail customer base. The solution enables retailers to maintain control over the AI systems they introduce to their stores, and the AI Gateway enhances the ROI from their AI without adding complexity.

For retailers embracing digital assistants, use cases for the AI Gateway range from integration with retailers' workflow management systems for equipment maintenance to stock checks for customer requested items.

Soreil Lingerie

Brarista has announced a new partnership with Soreil, a Colombian lingerie brand founded in 2015.

Having showcased at Bogotá Fashion Week and Curve New York, and been featured in L'Officiel and Elle, Soreil has established itself as a brand with a growing international reach. With three lines - Limited Edition, Dailywear, and Bridal - it creates garments handcrafted by an all female team.

“We first connected with the Soreil team at Curve New York earlier this year. As a Colombian brand reaching customers across the world, they were looking for a fit solution that could speak to shoppers in their own sizing language, wherever they are. That's exactly where Brarista came in, with a fitting and styling experience as refined as their level of craft.” says Bella Trang Ngo, Founder and CEO at Brarista.

“As a smaller brand without a large number of physical points of sale worldwide, I was looking for a way to bring the in-store experience closer to our online customers. Having an AI chat integrated into our website allows us to create a more personal and guided shopping experience, especially for customers who are discovering the brand for the first time,” comments Jackie Sasson, Founder at Soreil Lingerie.

Soreil has launched with both Brarista's Full Chatbot and Mini Chatbot. The former sits across the site, available from first browse to final purchase. A shopper can ask to see dar -toned bras, explore what sets a limited edition piece apart from a dailywear one, or get help converting their size from another brand. The guidance is conversational, brand aligned, and always grounded in a product recommendation.

Then, once a shopper lands on a product page, the mini chatbot takes over. Sitting directly below the add to cart button, it answers the specific, product level questions that stand between interest and purchase - what size they'd be in that particular style, how it fits relative to their current bra, or whether it suits their body. It is built for the moment when buying intent is highest and a single unanswered question can cause a shopper to leave.

Heron Foods

British supermarket chain, Heron Foods, says it has improved customer experience (CX), streamlined operations and enhanced colleague safety with an in-store communication platform from x-hoppers.

Established in Hull in 1979, Heron Foods focuses on delivering chilled, frozen and branded grocery goods at affordable prices and operates over 340 UK stores.  With 6,000 staff across its network and a growing store estate - aiming to open up to 30 new locations each year - it wanted to unify its communications and better connect its teams across frontline roles, the back office, regional field reps and its HQ.   

Having selected x-hoppers, which combines wireless headsets with a mobile app, Heron Foods says it has improved in-store experiences for shoppers while helping staff feel safer on the shop floor. 

The solution now connects area and regional managers with frontline store teams via the mobile app. This ensures the right messages reach the right teams at the right times to drive operational efficiencies and enhanced productivity.  It also embeds intelligence directly into staff members’ daily workflows, improving speed of service for shoppers, while smart notifications create greater consistency and compliance.

This integrates with Heron Foods’ existing systems, including StaffSafe, an always on security solution offering real-time, two-way verbal and visual connectivity to prevent, control and remedy in-store incidents. 

Mountain Warehouse

Commerce reports that Mountain Warehouse, a global outdoor clothing and equipment retailer, has launched a new composable e-commerce platform powered by BigCommerce.

This replaces a decade old custom built system. Founded in 1997, Mountain Warehouse operates more than 400 stores worldwide and serves over five million customers across key markets including the UK, US, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The company designs and produces the majority of its products in-house, with the aim of offering affordable outdoor apparel and equipment for the whole family.

“Moving away from our legacy platform was critical to unlocking the next phase of Mountain Warehouse’s growth,” says Simon Neale, Chief Technology Officer at Mountain Warehouse. “With BigCommerce, we now have the flexibility to innovate faster, integrate best-of-breed technologies and focus our engineering efforts on delivering better customer experiences rather than maintaining core infrastructure.”

Sobeys

Pricer reports that its partner JRTech Solutions has signed an agreement with Canadian grocery retailer Sobeys. The contract includes the deployment of Pricer’s latest electronic shelf label (ESL) technology and the cloud-based platform Plaza across an estimated 300–350 stores.

The agreement covers the supply of multi-colour electronic shelf labels and the necessary store infrastructure, with a total hardware and infrastructure value of approximately $51 million (excluding Pricer Plaza). The deployment is scheduled for an 18-month period starting in May.

"We are very grateful for the trust and that Sobeys has once again chosen Pricer as its long-term strategic partner,” says Mats Arnehall, Chief Growth Officer at Pricer. "This deal confirms our leading position in the North American market and the value of our high performance system in high density retail environments. Our scalable cloud platform, Plaza, will be the intelligence behind every label, enabling Sobeys to act faster and work smarter."

“After years of close collaboration and shared success, we’re proud to grow our partnership with Sobeys even further with an expanded rollout,” says Diego Mazzone, President and CEO at JRTech Solutions.

The Home Depot

The Home Depot has acquired SIMPL Automation, a two year old US-based startup focused on automation and technology systems. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

SIMPL uses engineering and AI technology with the aim of helping distribution facilities operate faster and more efficiently. The Home Depot says that the technology furthers its strategy of same-day/next-day fulfillment while also improving safety and increasing speed.

The acquisition follows a pilot at The Home Depot’s Locust Grove, Ga. distribution centre, where it drove faster pick speed, faster cycle times and less product touches. It also has a patented storage and retrieval solution that helps maximise storage density, allowing the home improvement retailer to house a broader assortment of high demand products closer to the customer.

“We’re focused on providing the best interconnected experience in home improvement by having products in stock and ready to deliver to our customers whether it's to the home or jobsite,” says Amit Kalra, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain at The Home Depot. “By bringing SIMPL’s industry leading automation into our operations, we’re accelerating the flow of products through our distribution network to deliver with unprecedented speed and precision.”

Starbucks

Starbucks has launched a beta app in ChatGPT, the aim of which is to help customers discover drinks in a way that feels natural, personal, and fun.

People can describe their mood or share a photo that captures their vibe and the app will translate that into personalised drink suggestions. They can customise the drink, choose the coffeehouse they'd like to order from, start their order in ChatGPT and finish checkout in the Starbucks app or on Starbucks.com.

"It’s such a fun, smart way to find and order your next drink," says Tressie Lieberman, Global Chief Brand Officer at Starbucks. "From big moves like reshaping Starbucks Rewards to sweating the customer experience in the app (and now AI) every single day, our digital team is curious, dreaming big, and always learning."

In an online post, Starbucks says: "The beta app in ChatGPT is part of our ongoing effort to make drink discovery at Starbucks a personal experience. We’ve enhanced discovery in the app with a trending beverage category and a secret menu, harnessing the power of customisation that occurs every day in social media and with our baristas. And now, in ChatGPT, we are using AI to support something very human: helping you discover a drink you’ll love."

Forever Cheese

Forever Cheese has selected RELEX to replace spreadsheet driven forecasting and replenishment across its distribution network. The project will support its three distribution centres (DCs) and more than 1,000 SKUs, supporting freshness and service levels, with a planning foundation designed to scale with the business.

Founded with a focus on sourcing and distributing products from around the world, Forever Cheese sources primarily from Italy Spain, and Asia, with expanding supply from the US, Switzerland, Portugal, and Croatia. The company operates a complex supply chain, spanning multiple business units, including Forever Cheese, WA Imports, and Virginia Packing, that combines national distribution with light manufacturing and packaging operations.

Effectively managing long international lead times, expiration driven inventory, and increasing intercompany logistics required a planning approach that can connect demand, inventory, and replenishment decisions across the business as it continues to scale.

With forecasting and replenishment capabilities from RELEX, Forever Cheese says it will gain a centralised view of demand, inventory, and replenishment across its DCs and channels. RELEX will support expiration aware planning to help manage perishable inventory, while enabling exception-based workflows that automate routine planning decisions and focus attention on the exceptions that matter most.

The company plans to leverage the technology to support supply chain optimisation for future acquisitions.