lululemon lands in Greece and Shopopop sizes up UK: last week's most read RTIH retail technology articles

Check out our most clicked articles from last week, including John Lewis & Partners, Tesco, Purpl, SAI Group, dunnhumby, Shopopop, Catalyst Brands, Figure, lululemon, and the first ever RTIH Retail Technology Hot 100 List.

New chapter for John Lewis & Partners as it shutters Blakelands DC and invests in automation

John Lewis & Partners has called time on its Blakelands national distribution centre in MIltons Keyne. This comes as the retailer invests in automation at its Magna Park 3 facility, also in Milton Keynes.

It operates a UK logistics network of distribution and customer fulfilment centres, withs its supply chain anchored by hubs in Milton Keynes, Northampton, and other regional locations to support both John Lewis department stores and Waitrose supermarkets.

In a LinkedIn post, Sarah Payne, Head of Operations at John Lewis & Partners, said: "A new chapter in distribution. It is a bittersweet day as we formally complete the closure and final handover of the Blakelands national distribution centre. This site has been a key part of our distribution network for over 40 years, and we extend a sincere thank you to the entire Blakelands team for their incredible contributions, hard work and resilience."

She added: "While it is always sad to close a long serving building, this move marks an exciting new chapter for our network. The closure is part of a move for groundbreaking automation development, in Magna Park 3. This investment is key to future-proofing our operations and enhancing efficiency."

"Most importantly, I am incredibly pleased to share that we have successfully retained the majority of all Blakelands Partners who have secured other roles within the John Lewis distribution network. This successful transition is a testament to the professionalism and dedication of all involved, especially the impacted partners - thank you!"

Have your say and vote today! First ever RTIH Retail Technology Hot 100 List goes live, sponsored by 3D Cloud

In partnership with 3D Cloud, RTIH is pleased to announce the launch of its first ever Retail Technology Hot 100 List.

We have scoured the global retail technology world to bring you the hottest companies whose solutions and systems are helping drive the retail sector forward.

Our Founder and Editor, Scott Thompson, has drawn up a list of 150 companies that have consistently been on his radar over the past 12 months whilst bringing our community the latest retail tech news and views that matter. These companies operate across the omnichannel retail landscape (stores, online, mobile, supply chain, payments etc). 

Our judging panel, including Vineta Bajaj, Group CFO, Holland & Barrett, Dan McGrath, JD Group Customer Operations, JD Sports, and Paula Bobbett, Chief Data and Digital Officer, Boots, will now provide feedback on those who have the most innovative, forward thinking technology offerings and are best addressing retailers' current challenges, painpoints, and opportunities.

And there will also be a public vote, with our community of retail tech enthusiasts invited to select their top five picks (one vote per person). The public vote closes on Friday, 26th June. 

Based on the judging panel's feedback and the public vote, we will then draw up our first ever RTIH Retail Technology Hot 100, aka the 100 hottest global retail technology companies during 2026, which will be published across our website, social channels, and the next edition of our printed magazine (to be published in August).

"RITH has long been at the forefront of recognising exceptional performance in retail technology. We’re proud to support this programme and to play a part in elevating the role of retail tech in shaping the future of the customer experience," says Leigh Davidson, Managing Director, UK and International at 3D Cloud.

Tesco inks deal with Purpl to test out disability discount service for online grocery deliveries

Purpl, whose platform offers discounts for disabled people in the UK, has teamed up with Tesco for an exclusive eight-week trial.

In a LinkedIn post, Purpl said: “Living with a disability or long-term health condition in the UK brings significant additional monthly costs, and accessing essential grocery items online should not be part of that barrier. This corporate partnership is a massive milestone for our community. Through this trial, Purpl members can claim a £5 discount code to use on online home deliveries, Click & Collect orders, or Tesco Whoosh rapid delivery.”

It added: “While this initiative is an eight-week trial to start, we hope it will pave the way for long-term changes, we are highly confident this collaboration will make a tangible, real difference to our members. A huge thank you to the team at Tesco for backing our vision and working with us to build a more inclusive, financially supportive environment for disabled people across the UK.”

SAI Group appoints retail technology veteran Clare Hoole to spearhead company's UK expansion push

SAI Group, a computer vision and GenAI specialist that provides retail intelligence solutions. has announced the appointment of Clare Hoole, who will head up the company’s UK expansion plans.

She has, over the last two decades, held senior positions at such tech providers as NCR and latterly NCR Voyix.

Hoole will leverage her tech expertise across store operations, self-checkout and PoS to help retailers run their bricks and mortar estates more efficiently, profitably and safely. She will also support brands in creating insight led retail strategies, using SAI’s Visual Language Model (VLM) to turn traditionally ‘passive’ store surveillance systems into active, operational platforms for real-time store intelligence.

She says: “As AI becomes a driving force within the sector, SAI Group is innovating at the cutting edge of using that active intelligence to power physical retail, helping brands provide best-in-class CX, whilst reducing the cost of theft in-store, which remains a persistent challenge for retailers. Continuous innovation sits at the heart of SAI Group’s operating model and culture, meaning it can support retailers’ evolving needs as they adapt at pace, making for an exciting and dynamic prospect.”  

“Clare brings a holistic and in-depth understanding of the innovation needed to drive retail businesses forward and help retailers navigate key challenges, from unlocking efficiencies to enhancing CX and proactively reducing crime in-store,” comments Som Sinha, CEO at SAI Group. “Clare will have an instrumental role in delivering our UK growth strategy, and we look forward to welcoming her to the growing team as we continue to build momentum.”

Former Reward, Prezzee and Mastercard exec Jamie Samaha takes on CEO role at dunnhumby

dunnhumby, a customer data science specialist owned by Tesco, reports that Jamie Samaha has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective from 20th July. He succeeds Josh Bottomley, who has decided to step down after three years.

Ken Murphy, Tesco Group CEO, says: “Josh has played a pivotal role in growing dunnhumby during a period of rapid technological change, as the intelligence layer connecting retailers, brands and consumers. He has strengthened partnerships and expanded our impact worldwide, grown Tesco Media into an award winning media business and laid the foundations for long-term, scalable technology innovation. Josh leaves the business well positioned for the future and I’d like to thank him for his significant contribution.

Bottomley says: “I’ve hugely valued my time at dunnhumby and am immensely proud of what the team has achieved over the past three years in creating value for leading retail and brand partners globally. We’ve built strong foundations for the future, and as the business enters its next phase of growth, I look forward to seeing dunnhumby go from strength to strength.”

Samaha joins dunnhumby from Reward, a company focused on commerce media, customer engagement, and data insights, where he served as CEO. Prior to that, he led Australian FinTech business, Prezzee, to scale in the UK and US and also built a career at Mastercard as Executive VP of Consumer Engagement Services.

France's Shopopop announces UK expansion plan and aims to onboard one major retailer this year

Shopopop, a crowdshipping platform headquartered in France, is officially launching in the UK (Europe's largest e-commerce market) and has set the target of securing a partnership with at least one major UK-based retailer by the end of the year.

Established in France in 2015 with the business recently achieving profitability, Shopopop has over 115 employees and a community of 350,000+ private individuals (‘crowdshippers’) which deliver groceries and goods to over 30,000 people daily across local communities. It has domestic partnerships with over 25 retailers and brands across 7,500 stores, including Carrefour, E.Leclerc, Decathlon, Colruyt and Interflora. 

To date, it has completed more than 17 million deliveries across Europe. Shopopop says that it has initiated conversations with major retailers across the country (including Asda, Coop, Kingfisher, Morrisons and Tesco). 

Johan Ricaut, Shopopop’s CEO and Co-Founder, comments: “We are incredibly excited about bringing our crowdshipping model to the UK which is a market we have long admired. The UK is known for embracing new online delivery methods and together with its strong sense of community, we see our platform as the ideal tool for rural and hard to reach communities to come together and support one another, forming meaningful relationships in the process.”

Catalyst Brands agrees Figure humanoid robotics partnership amid supply chain modernisation push

Humanoid robotics company Figure has signed a commercial agreement with Catalyst Brands, the operator of JCPenney, Aéropostale, and Brooks Brothers.

The initial phase involves Catalyst Brands’ Reno, Nevada distribution logistics centre. 

The pair aim to automate repetitive, physically demanding sorting and packing tasks, freeing associates to focus on higher skill functions. Figure’s humanoids will first focus on aiding associates in the facility’s Joey Pouch sorting system sequencing, a computerised induction, sorting and packing system.

“As we invest in and scale our portfolio, this collaboration with Figure shows how emerging technologies can modernise our operations while strengthening our workforce,” says Marc Rosen, CEO at Catalyst Brands. “When we automate routine tasks, our associates can focus on higher value work and better serve our customers across all our brands.”

“Catalyst Brands poses a unique opportunity for Figure to partner with a company in an ambitious expansion phase,” says Brett Adcock, Founder and CEO at Figure. “As Catalyst Brands scales its multi-brand portfolio, our humanoids provide a standardised labour solution that can be deployed across diverse industries instantly. This collaboration establishes the playbook for how AI driven hardware can serve as a primary growth engine for modern holding companies.”

lululemon gets physical in Greece as it opens first stores in country and ramps up EMEA growth plans

lululemon has announced the opening of its first store in Greece through its franchise partnership with Arion Retail Group.

The first location opened on Saturday at Akadimias 17 & Voukourestiou in Kolonaki, central Athens. A second one is set to go live on Friday, 12th June at the Golden Hall shopping mall.

“We’re excited to welcome more guests to lululemon with the opening of the first stores in Greece, marking another milestone in our continued growth across EMEA,” says Sarah Clark, Senior Vice President, EMEA, lululemon. “Together with our franchise partner Arion Retail Group, we look forward to introducing our premium performance products that blend technical innovation with elevated style to new guests in the market and building meaningful connections with the local community here in Athens.”

The Greece move marks the brand’s third new market entry of the year, following Poland and Hungary in March. This year through its franchise partnership model, lululemon plans a record six new market entries over a 12-month period. Further planned launches in 2026 include Romania, Austria, and India.