Agentic commerce dominates Shoptalk Europe 2026: 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 TG Jones, NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe, Stitch Fix, Jysk, Vusion, M&S, Best Buy Canada, Asos, Deliveroo, and Medallia.
1. 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...”
2. Focus on AI execution gap and discovery experience as Shoptalk Europe 2026 wraps in Barcelona
Shoptalk Europe 2026 concluded a three-day run in Barcelona last week. The event brought together more than 4,500 senior retail and technology leaders, brands, service providers, investors and startups, and over 25,000 co-matched business meetings were conducted through Shoptalk’s Meetup programme.
With the rise of artificial intelligence, shifting consumer priorities and the macro forces reshaping European commerce all on the agenda, Shoptalk Europe 2026 sent a clear message: the industry is in a period of fundamental transformation, and the brands that will win are focused on executing with technological and cultural precision, while embracing flexibility, enhanced personalisation and the agility required to operate and trial new innovations in the unknown.
Three themes emerged as the defining threads of the conversation: the growing gap between AI adoption and measurable business impact; the structural pressures, including a deepening consumer trust deficit, bearing down on European retailers; and the rise of discovery led commerce in lieu of search first.
Adam Plom, VP of Content at Shoptalk Europe, says: "Agentic commerce has become the defining phrase of Shoptalk Europe, used to describe everything from assisted to fully delegated shopping experiences. What's equally clear is that the European retail community expects technology to deliver real business impact while keeping people firmly at the centre - and while fully delegated shopping is still around the corner, the roleof the human, from colleague empowerment to genuine consumer engagement, is where the industry is planting its flag."
AI in retail dominated conversations, with particular focus on the gap between adoption and execution or impact. Leading a talk on how the retailer is navigating Europe’s macro shifts, David Schröder, Co-CEO, Zalando said the company’s AI assistant grew from six million users in 2025, to 10 million users in Q1 2026 alone, with 90% of site content now AI generated, up from near-zero a year ago.
3. Tesco preps major Hanshow electronic shelf labels roll-out across store estate following 2025 pilot
Tesco is set to roll-out electronic shelf labels across its stores over the next two years. It is teaming with Chinese firm Hanshow on this.
This builds on a proof of concept in 2025 with VusionGroup and Hanshow to evaluate ESLs in select stores, with the aim of reducing labour costs and enhancing pricing accuracy.
The project will kick off in four stores - one Express and three supermarket locations - and will ultimately cover approximately 3,000 stores.
"The roll-out of digital shelf labels marks an important step in the modernisation of our stores, delivering benefits for both customers and colleagues," says Tesco UK Operations Managing Director Kevin Tindall.
4. NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe to take place in Paris this September - agenda and highlights
NRF 2026: Retail's Big Show Europe returns to Paris from 15th to 17th September, promising three days of innovation, strategic discussions, and groundbreaking ideas. Held at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, the event runs from 9am to 5:30pm on 15th and 16th September, with the final day wrapping up at 4pm on 17th September.
Operating under the theme The Next Now, the show positions Europe not merely as an adapter of global trends, but as a pacesetter for the five pillars of transformation that define the competitive landscape for European retail.
The five pillars are: Agentic AI and customer services; Demand forecasting and personalisation; Creating community and embracing influencers; Licencing, IP and new business models; Retail media.
5. John Hunt swaps Woolworths Group for M&S and Chief Digital and Technology Officer role
M&S reports that John Hunt will be joining the retailer as its new Chief Digital and Technology Officer this summer. He was previously at Woolworths Group, where he spent almost ten years, most recently serving as Chief Information Officer & Managing Director of Group Enablement.
Hunt says: “I’m really looking forward to joining M&S and bringing my passion for both retail and technology to what is an incredibly exciting transformation. M&S is a brand that is admired the world over and I can’t wait to get started.”
Hunt will take over leadership of the Digital, Data and Technology function from Sacha Berendji, who will stay with M&S and remain on the executive committee until April 2027.
Stuart Machin, Chief Executive at M&S, says: “Sacha is a loyal, hardworking, trusted colleague and one of the most company minded people I’ve had the pleasure to work with. All of us at M&S turn to him for advice, support and that extra bit of wisdom. He will remain a part of the M&S family forever. Everyone at M&S offers a heartfelt thank you to Sacha, and a warm welcome to John.”
Berendji comments: "M&S runs through my blood and has done for more than 32 years. It’s the best brand in the country and in my view the best retailer in the world. I think the leadership and the clarity of our strategy is stronger now than it has ever been and I’m very confident about the future of M&S. I remain focused on delivering our priorities as we still have so much to do! I will be cheering on Stuart and the team in the years ahead."
6. Former Sephora CTO Sree Sreedhararaj joins Stitch Fix as CPTO
Stitch Fix, an online personal styling service, has announced the appointment of Sree Sreedhararaj as Chief Product and Technology Officer (CPTO).
"Sree brings deep technical expertise and a relentless focus on the customer," says Matt Baer, CEO at Stitch Fix. "Stitch Fix was built on the belief that shopping should feel personal, inspiring and effortless, and we use our rich client data, innovative and AI driven technology platform and the trusted relationships our stylists build with clients every day to deliver on this promise. As AI unlocks new possibilities, we believe the future of retail lies in using this technology to create more human connections. Sree has built technology platforms that make personalisation at scale possible. That perspective will be critical as we shape the next era of retail."
Sreedhararaj joins from IPSY, beauty membership platform, where he served as Chief Technology Officer. He previously served as Chief Technology Officer at Sephora. There, he helped to modernise Sephora's digital infrastructure and led its AI integration and personalisation strategy. Earlier in his career, Sreedhararaj held engineering leadership roles at Walmart and served as a consultant at Infosys, where he worked with retailers including Best Buy, Target, Nordstrom and Gap.
"Stitch Fix has accomplished something truly unique in apparel retail," he says. "The company cracked the code on combining human connection with technology to deliver a superior shopping experience. I'm excited to partner with Matt and the entire product and technology organisation. Together, we will build on that foundation, continue innovating for our clients and help more people discover styles they will love."
7. Focus on cloud transformation and ESLs as European home furnishing retailer Jysk ramps up Vusion partnership
Vusion has announced the expansion of its long-standing partnership with Jysk, a European home furnishing retailer, through a new agreement supporting the retailer’s next phase of store modernisation and cloud transformation strategy.
This includes the upgrade of electronic shelf labels across Jysk’s already deployed 450 Nordic stores, the roll-out of Vusion solutions in 750 additional stores across Europe, and the full migration of Jysk’s legacy on-premise platform to VusionCloud. By 2027, the deployment is expected to scale to approximately 2,500 stores across the Nordic, DACH and Benelux regions.
“Jysk has partnered with Vusion for more than ten years, and this new agreement reflects both the strength of our collaboration and the value we see in moving to a more advanced cloud-based platform,” says Carsten Nørgreen Weinkouff, Executive Vice President Retail Development, Marketing, E-commerce & Omnichannel at Jysk.
“As we continue to modernise our stores across Europe, we are investing in solutions that provide greater scalability, operational efficiency, and flexibility for the future. Vusion’s technology and teams have consistently demonstrated the reliability and support needed to accompany us at this scale.”
8. Best Buy Canada thinks big as it connects with Perion to power its retail DOOH media network
Consumer electronics omnichannel retailer, Best Buy Canada, has selected Perion to power the monetisation of its programmatic in-store digital signage network, creating what is pitched as one of the largest SSP enabled digital-out-of-home (DOOH) media networks in the Canadian market.
“Perion provides the technology foundation to help modernise and scale our in-store media offering,” says Thierry Hay-Sabourin, Senior Vice President - E-commerce, Marketplace & Marketing, Best Buy Canada. “A programmatic first, loopless model enables more effective, measurable experiences for brands and agencies, while unlocking the valuable advertising moments that our in-store environment offers.”
“By serving as a foundational infrastructure for a market leader such as Best Buy Canada, we demonstrate that our Perion One strategy allows us to win complex, enterprise level mandates,” says Tal Jacobson, CEO at Perion. “We are creating a repeatable playbook to modernise retail media networks globally, ensuring sustainable growth and deeper strategic relationships with high value partners.”
9. Asos and Deliveroo partner for on demand delivery of retailer's limited edition football shirts
Asos and Deliveroo have teamed up to make a new drop of the former’s DESIGN football shirts available to order on demand via the latter’s app.
Launching across Greater London and Manchester, customers can order up to two football supporter shirts out of 15 male and female designs, and have them delivered straight to their door in as little as 25 minutes. Country designs include England, Spain, Brazil, Argentina, Portugal, Germany, Mexico and The Netherlands. The focus, according to a press release, is on “reworking classic jerseys with a trend led edge…From shirred baby tees, off‑shoulder tops, tanks, and bandeaus to boxy, oversized T‑shirts and oversized polos, the shirts are priced between £12–£22 and feature sporty graphics made for the season ahead.”
Vanessa Spence, Executive Vice President of Brand and Creative at Asos, says: “We love tapping into the moments that matter to our customers. Partnering with Deliveroo lets us meet them right where they are, whether that’s getting match day ready at the last minute or leaning into the energy and emotional rollercoaster of the game. It’s about making style feel easy, relevant, and part of real life.”
Suzy McClintock, VP Consumer and New Verticals at Deliveroo, says: “Our new partnership with Asos redefines what convenience means during a busy sporting summer. Deliveroo is already a trusted part of the match-day experience, helping customers get everything they need delivered on demand, from meals and groceries to beauty, health and retail essentials. Expanding our retail offering with Asos is an exciting step that gives fans an easy way to complete their plans, whether that’s stocking up for a watch party or getting last minute fashion essentials delivered to their door.”
10. Medallia shakes hands on recapitalisation agreement with investor group led by Blackstone, Apollo and KKR
Medallia, a specialist in customer and employee experiences, has entered into a recapitalisation agreement with its lenders that, it claims, will strengthen its financial foundation for long-term growth. The transaction will reduce its outstanding debt and provide $150 million of new capital. Upon completion, Medallia will change ownership from Thoma Bravo to an investor group led by Blackstone, Apollo, and FS KKR Capital Corp (FSK).
Thoma Bravo will lose all of the $5 billion it invested in Medallia when it took the company private in 2021. Its loss is the second largest in the private equity industry’s history, exceeded only by the collapse of Texas utility TXU.
Medallia was founded in 2001 and went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2019 before being taken private in 2021. Eighteen months ago, a new executive team joined and looked to reinvent the business for an AI first market, with a focus on modernising operations, and sharpening strategic focus while maintaining profitability.
“Today’s announcement marks a significant milestone towards the next generation of AI led enterprise experience management,” says Mark Bishof, CEO at Medallia. “The transformation of Medallia has been well underway - what changes today is the pace. With a strengthened balance sheet and $150 million in new capital, we are accelerating our commitment to invest over $500 million in products and services for our customers over the next few years.”
“Medallia is a profitable business with a strong track record serving many of the largest companies in the world,” says Brad Marshall, Global Head of Private Credit Strategies at Blackstone. “We’re confident in the business under this new capital structure and look forward to supporting its plans to invest in this next phase of innovation and growth.”
