Retail technology innovation of the week: Hanshow launches xPilot and Ikea tackles food waste with AI

Retail Technology Innovation of the Week is a series brought to you by RTIH, highlighting stand out deployments, launches, and initiatives by retailers and tech suppliers.

Every week, we showcase forward thinking tech plays that have impressed our Editor and the Retail Technology Innovations Report judging panel, building up to the publication of the 2026 report later this year.

And this week we’re focusing on ICE which has announced a partnership with Tesco, launching a roll-out of autonomous cleaning robots across 600 Express stores. The pair are laying claim to the first deployment of this scale in the UK convenience sector.

The machines are designed as "co-bots" to work alongside Tesco colleagues. By taking over routine floor cleaning, they free up time for the store teams to focus on serving customers. The technology promises a highly consistent, premium clean every single day, backed by data tracking and reporting.

Mark Bresnihan, CEO at ICE, says: "As long standing pioneers in cleaning technologies, ICE is delighted to partner with Tesco on this project. We are providing not just our industry leading autonomous machines, but also the comprehensive training and service support required to make this a success. Together, we are showing how data driven automation can work hand-in-hand with retail teams to improve cleaning standards."

And honourable mentions this week to...

Ikea UK

Ikea UK is introducing Great British Bin Juice, a limited edition apple juice made from surplus British fruit, highlighting the value of food that might otherwise go unused.

A key part of Ikea's food waste reduction efforts has been the use of smart technology developed in partnership with Winnow, a company specialising in commercial waste solutions. Deployed in Ikea kitchens, the AI powered tool tracks what gets thrown away, capturing the item, weight and cost, making it easier for Food teams to take simple, effective action. The retailer says that implementing the technology has saved Ikea UK alone over £14 million in ten years, while reducing carbon emissions by the equivalent of taking 2,300 cars off the road.

Each bottle of Great British Bin Juice includes a QR code unlocking 20% off Ikea’s 365+ food storage range. This includes 365+ food containers and lids to help preserve leftovers, as well as a food storage basket with a see through design. 

Customers can attend free ‘Waste Not, Want Not’ workshops in participating stores, offering simple tips on storage, meal prep and creative ways to repurpose everyday ingredients. The workshops are free for customers to attend and will run in select stores from 6th to 13th June.

Karen Hughes, Country Food Manager at Ikea UK, says: “We believe good food should always be valued and enjoyed. ‘Great British Bin Juice’ is a fun and simple way to show how ingredients, often overlooked, can be turned into something delicious. But most importantly, it’s about sharing practical solutions that can help individuals make more of the food they already have. When we rethink the value of what’s already in our kitchens, those small daily habits can make a big difference.”

Jen Emerton, Head of Business Engagement at WRAP, comments: “The volume of edible food currently going to waste across the UK represents a significant environmental and economic issue. It also highlights a huge opportunity for innovation. Ikea’s achievement in halving its kitchen waste using a data driven approach is a powerful example of this in action. We welcome approaches that demonstrate the value of treating surplus food as a resource, which is a key part of building a more circular food system.”

Great British Bin Juice will be available at select Ikea stores including Birmingham, Bristol, Wembley, Gateshead, Milton Keynes, Glasgow and London's Oxford Street.

Hanshow

Hanshow has announced the launch of xPilot, a real-time store execution AI assistant powered by the company’s digital twin technology, in collaboration with Microsoft. 

Built on Microsoft Azure, xPilot uses Microsoft Fabric to unify in-store sensing data with retailer business data, creating a connected data foundation for real-time retail operations. On top of that foundation, AI agents powered by Microsoft Foundry help translate live store signals into faster decisions and more consistent execution across store environments.

Designed as native AI agent for retail and intelligent execution assistant, xPilot combines real-time store sensing, AI driven decision-making, and automated workflows, integrating to a store digital twin by continuously integrating data from smart shelves, smart carts, in-store robotics, operational systems and other IoT touchpoints. 

Store teams gain real-time visibility into shelf availability, planogram compliance and operational alerts, with the ability to trigger staff tasks or automated actions instantly with priority. Retailers benefit from live heatmaps covering sales, traffic, conversion, labour and energy usage, helping standardise execution, reduce lost sales, and improve operational efficiency across store networks. xPilot's open architecture also supports integration with ecosystem partner's applications across merchandising, supply chain, store operations and customer engagement.

Rainbow Department Store in China is among the first retailers to deploy xPilot in live store environments. It is using the solution to validate how digital twin technology can translate real-time store intelligence into consistent in-store execution at scale. 

"Our collaboration with Microsoft and many partners established the foundation for store digital twin," says Relvin Sun, Dean of Hanshow Retail Research Institute. "xPilot is where that vision becomes a reality, turning insights into actions in real-time and enabling retailers and suppliers to move from reactive operations to proactive, intelligence led execution."

"Retailers don't need more tools in the store - they need more intelligence. A real-time store digital twin, paired with unified data and AI agents, helps teams move from seeing what's happening to acting on it in the moment - raising Store IQ and accelerating the journey toward a frontier store," says Christian O'Donohue, Sr. Industry Advisor, Retail and Consumer Goods, Microsoft.