Retail media firsts and digital shelf edge label milestones: this week's biggest retail technology stories

It's Friday, the 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 Giant Eagle, Ibotta, Maikoz, Morrisons, Vusion, Amazon, Lidl GB, Coop Estonia, StrongPoint, Boot Barn, Aptos, Uber Eats, Ahold Delhaize USA.

1. Former Reckon.ai CEO Ana Pinto gets back in the retail game as she accepts COO position at Maikoz

Ana Pinto has joined Maikoz, which designs, deploys and connects AI enabled smart fridges and micromarkets across Europe, in the role of COO.

She was previously at Portugal-based unattended retail startup, Reckon.ai, where she served as CEO and Co-founder.

"I accepted to join Maikoz because it’s a super opportunity to combine technology with people who deeply understand how this industry works and scales. This allows to create something very hard to replicate, and a chance to rethink retail operations from the ground up,” she says.

”With Ana we now have a complete team with all competences needed to ensure we can provide the best support to our partners, not only through the competence and experience, but also with the big engagement and genuine care for customer success that she brings, with advanced AI solution and sophisticated solutions, the people around it is equally important,” says Andreas Fetscher, CEO at Maikoz.

2. The Retail Tea Break podcast host Melissa Moore joins 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards judging panel

We're hugely pleased to announce the addition of Melissa Moore to the judging panel for the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

Melissa is a retail trainer and educator with over 27 years of industry experience.

She designs and delivers impactful training programmes and lectures, shaping the next generation of retail talent. Melissa works with teams across international markets to elevate performance through sales excellence, operational standards and customer experience.

An experienced conference chair and MC, she also hosts The Retail Tea Break podcast, bringing together retailers, brands and global industry experts. She has been recognised as a RETHINK Retail Top Retail Expert and named in RTIH’s Top 100 Retail Technology Influencers List.

Welcome aboard, Melissa!

Further information on our judging panel can be found here. In addition to Melissa, it includes representatives from Walmart, Warner Bros. Discovery, JD Sports, East of England Co-op, Boots, Holland & Barrett, PoundFun, Austen & Blake, and Gordon Ramsay Restaurants.

3. US retailer Giant Eagle brings its 200+ stores and digital platforms onto Ibotta Performance Network

Giant Eagle, a US multi-format food and pharmacy retailer, has joined the Ibotta Performance Network, selecting Ibotta as its exclusive provider of digital promotions across its 200+ supermarkets and digital platforms.

This will begin rolling out in the coming months.

“Our 'Because It Matters' strategy is our promise to prioritise what truly matters to our guests: quality, service, and meaningful value,” says Justin Weinstein, Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer at Giant Eagle.

“Partnering with Ibotta allows us to deliver on that promise by providing our shoppers with hundreds of high quality, brand name promotions accessible anytime on the groceries they buy most. This transition to the Ibotta Performance Network ensures our customers have access to the industry's most robust and relevant offer gallery, strengthening the overall value our customers can realize by shopping at Giant Eagle.”

4. American Eagle Outfitters among first brands to tap Amazon Supply Chain Services offering

Amazon reports that it is rolling out Amazon Supply Chain Services (ASCS) as it opens up its logistics network for other businesses to use.

The online giant says that it is extending its entire portfolio of freight, distribution, fulfillment, and parcel shipping solutions to businesses of all types and sizes.

“Amazon is bringing the infrastructure, intelligence, and scale of its supply chain services, proven over decades, to businesses everywhere, much like Amazon Web Services did for cloud computing,” says Peter Larsen, Vice President at Amazon Supply Chain Services.

“Supply chain wasn’t just a function at Amazon - it was core to providing an exceptional shopping experience. Our differentiator. The reason we could offer fast, dependable delivery that nobody else could. And with the launch of ASCS, we’re confident we can give any other business access to the same cost efficiency, reliability, and speed that we’ve built for Amazon customers.”

Procter & Gamble is using Amazon’s freight services to transport raw materials to production facilities and move finished goods across its distribution network; 3M is leveraging Amazon’s freight services to move products from its manufacturing sites to distribution centres worldwide.

Lands’ End, meanwhile, is tapping a unified inventory pool within Amazon’s network to fulfill orders across multiple sales channels; and American Eagle Outfitters is deploying the parcel shipping network to deliver online orders from its American Eagle and Aerie website directly to customers across the US.

5. Kevel, Dollar General, and The Trade Desk tie up lays claim to first of its kind retail media solution

Kevel has partnered with Dollar General and The Trade Desk to deliver a retail media solution that unifies onsite and offsite activation with consistent measurement.

They say that retail media today is often fragmented, with separate systems for onsite and offsite activation and limited visibility into performance across channels. This collaboration, those involved claim, addresses those gaps by connecting inventory, activation, and measurement into a single, decisioned approach to commerce media.

The solution combines Dollar General’s onsite retail media inventory with offsite activation across the open internet through The Trade Desk, supported by Kevel’s retail media technology.

6. Ahold Delhaize USA ramps up its on-demand grocery delivery push with expanded Uber Eats tie up

Ahold Delhaize USA has announced an expanded partnership with Uber Eats involving on-demand grocery delivery to customers across the US Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.

Nearly 2,000 stores - operated by Food Lion, Giant Food, The GIANT Company, encompassing GIANT and MARTIN’s, Hannaford and Stop & Shop - are now available on the Uber Eats marketplace.

“Customers expect flexibility in how they shop, and that means being wherever they are, whether through our own brand experiences or trusted marketplaces like Uber Eats,” says Keith Nicks, Chief Commercial and Digital Officer, Ahold Delhaize USA. “This partnership reinforces our brands’ commitments to being leading omnichannel retailers, making it even easier for customers to access the brands they know and trust.” 

The move builds on an existing partnership between Ahold Delhaize USA and Uber Direct, a delivery solution supporting Ahold Delhaize USA brands’ first-party delivery channels.

7. Milestone for Morrisons in UK grocery retailer's Vusion technology powered digital shelf edge labels roll-out

Morrisons reports that it has installed its 50th store with digital shelf edge labels.

In a LinkedIn post, Charlotte Rush, Senior Productivity Manager - Projects at Morrisons, said: "Through our strategic partnership with Vusion, we are leveraging technology to enhance the shelf-edge experience for our customers whilst driving operational efficiency. By automating historically manual processes, we are empowering our store teams to focus more on serving our customers."

She added: "A massive thank you to the amazing team whose hard work and expertise have enabled us to deliver the roll-out at such a pace. I am looking forward to working with you all more as we continue the roll-out across the rest of our estate."

8. Self-scanning solution Lidl & Go now available in seven UK stores following friends and family pilot

Lidl GB is expanding its Lidl & Go customer trial to seven stores, allowing customers to scan items as they shop and monitor their spending in real-time via the Lidl Plus app before completing their purchases. 

Following a friends and family trial in three stores last year, this will now be available in locations located in Airdrie, Cardiff, Epsom, Glenrothes, Kingston, Guilford and Eastleigh. This next phase of the trial will provide the insights needed to enhance the customer experience ahead of any further roll-out.

Louise Weise, Chief Customer Officer, at Lidl GB, says: “This trial is another step forward in our digital evolution, giving shoppers a smarter, faster, and more flexible way to shop. As we continue to invest in Lidl Plus, our focus remains on making the shopping experience simple and rewarding. Whether a customer chooses a traditional checkout, self-service, or the autonomy of self-scanning, our priority is ensuring they have the flexibility to shop on their own terms.”

The expansion of the pilot follows the latest phase of the Lidl Plus experience, which introduced points earlier this week. This offers shoppers more choice in how they’re rewarded and a way to save even more on their shop, launched in response to customer demand for greater flexibility in how rewards are earned and used.

9. Estonian grocery retailer Coop enlists StrongPoint and Vusion as it embarks upon digitalisation of stores

Estonian grocery retailer Coop has chosen StrongPoint and Vusion for a project involving the digitalisation of its stores. The companies will act as its exclusive electronic shelf labels supplier. The value of the contract could reach approximately eight million euros.

The ESLs will be rolled out in a selection of Coop Estonia’s stores. The project is scheduled to commence in the second half of 2026. StrongPoint Baltics will be the main contractor for the installations, service and support.

Coop Estonia is the largest grocery retailer in Estonia, with approximately a 23% market share. It operates 320 stores and employs around 6,000 people. Coop also uses self-checkouts, a self-scanning solution, in-store collection point Vensafe and other solutions from StrongPoint.

“This agreement represents a major milestone for StrongPoint. It reflects the confidence our long-standing customer places in our outstanding local Baltic team, built through a long standing close partnership and a strong culture of customer intimacy,” says Jacob Tveraabak, CEO of StrongPoint.

“This is our first major Vusion electronic shelf labels project following the launch of our multi-faceted partnership, and it demonstrates both the potential and the strategic importance of our collaboration with Vusion.”

“Together with StrongPoint, we are supporting Coop in transforming store operations. We connect the shelf to digital workflows, enabling faster, smoother operations, while elevating in-store execution. The result is a more efficient, scalable model that better serves both store teams and customers. This milestone also reinforces our growing footprint in the Baltic region,” says Sébastien Fourcy, EVP EMEA at Vusion.

10. Lifestyle retailer Boot Barn preps roll-out of Aptos ONE Point of Sale platform across US locations

Boot Barn Holdings is set to deploy the Aptos ONE Point of Sale platform across its 500-plus US locations.

By transitioning to this mobile first solution, the lifestyle retailer is aiming to streamline IT operations while enabling associates to deliver cohesive, high touch shopping experiences. Beyond the store, Boot Barn will leverage Aptos ONE to power its large scale pop-up activations, including rodeos and music festivals.

“As a high growth retailer, scalability was nonnegotiable in our search for a next-generation PoS platform," says Julie Ting, Senior Vice President of IT at Boot Barn. "We required a flexible solution capable of evolving alongside our business. By adopting Aptos ONE, we are reducing technical debt and lowering our total cost of ownership, all while empowering our teams to go above and beyond for customers, whether in our stores or at a major pop-up event."

Aptos General Manager Jeremy Grunzweig says: “It is a privilege to deepen our longstanding partnership with Boot Barn as they embark on this exciting new phase of growth. Aptos ONE will give Boot Barn’s associates the tools they need to deliver exceptional experiences - in-store, at events and beyond - while providing the operational agility the business needs to scale confidently toward its long-term vision.”