Sainsbury's biggest ever hackathon sees technology colleagues push boundaries of AI integration
Sainsbury's last week wrapped up the biggest hackathon in its history. The event saw the UK grocery giant bring together 140 of its colleagues across technology, with the aim of enabling them to step away from the day-to-day, throw out the rulebook, and truly innovate.
Teams hacked away to push the boundaries of AI and AI integration, designed to elevate the experience for both Sainsbury's customers and colleagues across its four core strategies:
• First Choice for Food
• More Argos More Often
• Loyalty Everyone Loves
• Save and Invest to Win
In a LinkedIn post, Sainsbury's Digital, Tech and Data said: "It wasn't all code and coffee! To celebrate all that hard work, we wrapped up day one with an epic evening festival. Colleagues got to unwind and recharge with a massive BBQ, a Mexican food truck, games tents, a dedicated chillout area, a live DJ keeping the vibes going - and of course, plenty of ice cream to honour our fantastic sponsor."
It added: "A massive shoutout to our incredible tech partner, SoftServe, for sponsoring the event and helping us pull off our most ambitious hack yet. A huge congratulations to 'Aisle Be Back', who were crowned this year's overall Hackathon Winners. Watch this space - some of these incredible hacks might just be coming to a store near you soon."
Come fly with me
Sainsbury’s recently opened its first ever airport store in England. People passing through Luton Airport are now able to purchase food, drink and travel essentials from a Sainsbury's Local location.
This builds on the opening in 2024 of its first ever store in a UK airport (Edinburgh Airport).
"This has been a fantastic project to be part of and a real milestone for the business. Bringing a Sainsbury’s Local into a completely different retail environment, designed around the needs of customers travelling through one of the UK’s busiest airports," said Andy Robinson, Central Convenience Stores Director at Sainsbury's.
He added: "A huge thank you to everyone who has played a part - so many colleagues and support teams have worked incredibly hard behind the scenes over the last few months to get us to opening day, and the finished result is something everyone involved should be proud of."
"The store looks fantastic, the team are excited, and it’s another strong example of how we continue to bring convenience and great service to customers wherever they need us."
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Physical stores will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
