Is TG Jones worth saving after WHSmith acquisition? last week's most read RTIH retail technology articles
Check out our most clicked articles from last week, including Starship Technologies, Tesco, Bodycare, PMC, Simbe, Gatik, PepsiCo, Hanshow, Amazon, Klarna, Currys, Gopuff, Ulta Beauty, easyGroup, OnBuy, The Very Group, Lincolnshire Co-op, East of England Co-op, AliExpress, Carrefour Belgium, Timpson, Amazon, and Subway.
Starship Technologies pulls delivery robots from US campuses and focuses on grocery and food retailers
Autonomous delivery specialist Starship Technologies is shifting its focus to retail grocery chains and hot food delivery in cities across Europe and the United States as it winds down its US university campus operations. Over 1,200 robots from its US campus fleet will now be redeployed accordingly.
"We're seeing a lot of traction for delivery robots across numerous industries including industrial, universities, and corporate, but it's time for us to focus on the vertical we feel will have the most value, both for our clients and for Starship," says Ahti Heinla, CEO and Co-founder at Starship Technologies.
"We built something remarkable on US campuses, and we're proud of that work. When we started in 2018, operating in closed, controlled environments was the right foundation: it gave us the operational depth and real-world delivery data that no lab could provide. Now we can operate reliably at scale in open urban environments, which is exactly what grocery delivery demands."
"The unit economics are clear: our robots deliver groceries at a cost $3-4 lower per delivery than traditional courier fulfilment. That gap is the difference between last mile delivery being a margin problem and a competitive advantage. The opportunity in grocery is generational, and we owe it to our teams and our partners to focus where the impact is greatest."
Former WHSmith high street stores business in trouble but can be turned around, says TG Jones CEO
This comes as Modella Capital, which bought the 450-store chain less than a year ago and rebranded it as TG Jones, seeks creditor approval for a restructuring plan after an underwhelming period of trading under its ownership.
Alex Willson said in a LinkedIn post that since taking over as CEO he has found a team that is “both talented and committed...at our support centre, in our stores and in our DC; but I've also found a business that, let's just say, has its challenges. While we are working hard to get our restructuring plan approved and secure the future of this business, we aren't short of ideas in how to turn around the business. But can TG Jones be turned around? It won't be easy...but it absolutely can!”
Plans include relaying the stores: “right sizing categories, lowering fixtures to open up sightlines, cutting the clutter, and doubling down on our best sellers. The early trials are working, and we're rolling this out to as many as possible before the peak trading period.”
Bringing stores back to life will include LED lighting to brighten dark spaces, working lifts, repaired ceilings, refreshed flooring, and a good old fashioned coat of paint. “We know our stores need more than a cosmetic fix - but we start here, and we keep going.”
TG Jones is also reintroducing store managers into top locations - “something that we currently have none of! We are increasing the number of area managers so that no one colleague is solely responsible for 75 stores (yes, 75). And we are putting more hours into stores to better serve both colleagues and our customers.”
Other plans include fairer pricing (“we are no longer tied to WHSmith airport and rail pricing. High street prices are coming down. Simple as that”) and new categories (“since stepping out from under the WHSmith fascia, the customer feedback on what they want to see in a TG Jones store has been genuinely exciting. Watch this space”).
Willson concluded: “The business has genuine talent, real potential, and is well worth saving! If we can get through this restructuring, and beyond, then the road to recovery is there for the taking...”
Tesco rolls out ICE autonomous cleaning robots across grocery giant's Express stores
ICE 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."
US grocery retailer B&R Stores introduces Simbe's Tally inventory robot in stores across Nebraska
B&R Stores, a family owned US grocery operator behind banners including Russ’s Market, Allen’s, Super Saver and Cash Saver, has introduced Simbe’s Store Intelligence platform, powered by the autonomous shelf-scanning robot, Tally, to select locations in Lincoln, Nebraska.
"We are committed to delivering the highest quality shopping experience, and Tally is a powerful tool that helps our associates do that more effectively every day," says Marty Jarvis, Director of Marketing at B&R Stores. "This technology eliminates repetitive manual audits so our teams can spend more time serving customers, keeping shelves stocked, and ensuring products are accurately priced."
"B&R Stores has built a strong reputation by investing in both its customers and store teams," says Negar Ballard, Senior Director at Simbe. "Bringing real-time shelf intelligence into daily operations gives associates better tools to maintain the high standards B&R's shoppers expect."
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.
Health and beauty retailer Bodycare announces PMC tech tie up as it preps high street comeback
Bodycare has connected with PMC to design, orchestrate and deliver the digital infrastructure that will power its new store network as the health and beauty retailer prepares for its return to the UK high street.
Last year, it closed all its stores after collapsing into adminstration. Its brand and intellectual property were acquired out of administration in late 2025 by an investor group led by former The Body Shop and Molton Brown CEO Charles Denton, and it is now aiming to open 25 UK stores in 2026, growing to 200 locations over the next five years.
The plan is to run all store operations through a proprietary, custom built AI platform, which will see AI decisioning powering colleague actions, served via data harvested from the store, from task management, in-store network, CCTV and PoS systems to digital shelf technologies.
Bodycare also envisages making each new location a social content hub for local communities, generating localised content via staff, micro-influencers and customers. Each one will host a dedicated content production studio, generating social content each week, with content and UGC takeovers streaming live across digital screens.
“Store experience, digital presence and community engagement - all underpinned by AI intelligence - will be central to Bodycare’s new vision, as we prepare to welcome customers back,” says David Stern, Managing Director at Bodycare. “PMC is not just a transformation partner that we can trust with delivery - their trusted experience is helping us re-imagine, design and create the AI led strategy to bring our vision for Bodycare 2.0 to life.”
Gatik and PepsiCo lay claim to largest commercial driverless freight deployment in the United States
Gatik has announced a multi-year partnership to deploy driverless trucks across PepsiCo’s North America food and beverage supply chain.
“This is the largest commercial driverless freight deployment to date in the United States, with over 40 driverless trucks already operating across Texas, Arizona, and Arkansas. And, we are just getting started,” says Gautam Narang, CEO and Co-founder at Gatik. “Earlier this year, Gatik announced more than $600 million in contracted revenue. Partnerships like PepsiCo are the foundation of that momentum: real customers, real operations, and the trust required to bring driverless freight to commercial scale. This moment was earned by our team. And it is just the beginning.”
“Serving our vast network of customers requires a supply chain that is safe, reliable, and built for the future,” says Jim Farrell, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain at PepsiCo. “Gatik is already operating inside our networks and brings the autonomous freight technology, commercial experience, and scale we need to strengthen service, add capacity, and move products more consistently for our customers.”
Walmart trades blows with DoorDash and Uber Eats: RTIH presents last week's biggest retail technology plays
Including Hanshow, Amazon, Klarna, Currys, Gopuff, Ulta Beauty, easyGroup, OnBuy, The Very Group, Lincolnshire Co-op, East of England Co-op, AliExpress, Carrefour Belgium, Timpson, Amazon, and Subway.
