Weekend autonomous stores and self-serve bars: presenting last week’s biggest technology plays
RTIH rounds up the stand out retail technology deals, launches, deployments and pilots from the past seven days. Including Nectar360, Migros, HelloFresh, Disney Store, Asda, Uber Eats, Warner's Supermarket, Gratis, Walmart, and The Magnum Ice Cream Company.
Nectar360
Nectar360 has reported early results from campaigns on Pollen, its unified retail media platform, with brands including Unilever and Coca-Cola Europacific Partners onboard with the initiative. Built in house by Nectar360 and in collaboration with brands and agencies, this is designed to solve one of the industry’s biggest challenges: fragmentation.
Pollen brings together audience insight, media planning, campaign activation, in-flight optimisation and measurement into a single environment, enabling brands to run connected campaigns across in-store, online and offsite channels. At its core is a multi-touch attribution model. This, those involved claim, gives brands a clear view of performance across the full customer journey, helping them understand what is driving growth and where to optimise for better results.
Amir Rasekh, Managing Director at Nectar360, says: “Pollen brings our audiences, media, creativity and measurement together in a way the industry never experienced before. What we are seeing now is proof that when you remove complexity through technology and focus on outcomes, brands can drive stronger, more measurable growth and deliver better customer experiences.”
Migros
Migros is preparing to take the wraps off a new store in Geneva, Switzerland, that opens on Sundays and public holidays as an autonomous, standalone location with no cashiers or sales staff. A first for the retailer, this goes live on Thursday 2nd July, located in Cité-Vieusseux in the heart of Geneva.
Customers will be welcomed in the traditional shopping way from Monday to Saturday, with the autonomous format kicking in for the first time on Sunday, 5th July. With a sales area of 300 m2, this will offer the store's complete range of more than 5,000 everyday consumer products. On Sundays and public holidays, customers will be able to gain access using a Cumulus card or a debit/credit card. Purchases will be paid for at self-checkouts, which are already available in Migros stores. A system of sensors and surveillance cameras will ensure continuous monitoring and raise alerts in the event of an incident.
Grégory Décaillet, Managing Director, Migros Geneva, says: "We are constantly on the lookout for new consumer trends among our members and our customers in general. Especially in an urban environment, the company wants to benefit from a more agile and efficient shopping experience, as well as more flexible hours, like the stores located in train stations. We are delighted to be able to offer a new store concept in a brand new, modern and easy to access setting. Getting closer to our customers and making their daily lives easier remains at the heart of all our priorities."
He adds: “This first store to be open as a standalone location on Sundays and public holidays is an important milestone for Migros Geneva and opens up new development prospects. Before considering the deployment of this model in other points of sale, however, our cooperative wishes to learn from this first experience and collect feedback from customers.”
Henderson Technology
Henderson Technology reports the installation of its 1,000th EDGEPoS digital media screen. This was recently completed at a store operated by independent retailer Jempson’s Supermarkets alongside a new Barista Bar coffee-to-go machine. Barista Bar is a brand owned by Henderson Foodservice.
The milestone also marks four years since the first EDGEPoS digital media screen was introduced. Today, more than 800 retail locations across the UK use the technology, with some retailers operating multiple screens throughout their stores.
Darren Nickels, Retail Technology Operations Director at Henderson Technology, says: "Reaching 1,000 installations is a significant milestone for Henderson Technology and reflects the growing demand for digital signage solutions within the convenience and forecourt sectors. Retailers are increasingly looking for ways to communicate more effectively with customers while improving operational efficiency. The ability to update content quickly and maintain consistency across multiple locations has made digital signage an increasingly important part of the modern retail environment.”
He adds: “As retailers continue to look for ways to enhance customer engagement and respond quickly to changing market conditions, we are committed to developing solutions that help them create more connected, efficient and engaging store environments."
Walmart
Walmart is laying claim to one of its biggest Walmart Live experiences to date, an initiative that also saw the use for the first time in this space of Sparky, the retailer’s AI assistant.
Walmart Live is a feature on the US retail giant’s website and app, enabling consumers to watch livestreamed shopping events hosted by influencers and celebrities.
Sparky, meanwhile, helps customers find their favourite items, synthesise reviews and make informed purchases. For example, you can ask it to help you find the best laptop for an art student or the best birthday gift for a two-year-old.
In a LinkedIn post, Justin Breton, Head of Partnerships, Content & Emerging Experiences at Walmart, said: “From a TV commercial to a live, shoppable dance cardio workout! Today (Monday, 22nd June), we launched one of our most ambitious Walmart Live experiences yet for Summer Deals, bringing the world of Alwayz, the campaign jingle, and our hottest deals to life alongside fitness expert and dancer Ally Love.”
He added: “We paired products with custom choreography, original beats, and even introduced Sparky, Walmart's AI shopping assistant, into a live experience for the first time. The future of marketing isn't just about getting attention. It's about creating experiences people can participate in.”
Gratis
Gratis, a Turkish beauty and personal care retailer with a nationwide store footprint, has selected the Vusion platform to support the next phase of its store digitalisation strategy.
The agreement covers the deployment of approximately two million electronic shelf labels (ESLs) across 300 stores in Turkey as part of the first phase of the roll-out, leveraging Vusion’s connected store platform, with the project expected to be completed by the beginning of H2 2026.
"As we continue to enhance operational excellence across our stores, we were looking for a partner capable of supporting both our current needs and future ambitions," says Aykut Demirci, Vice President of Sales at Gratis. "Vusion’s end-to-end platform, proven execution capabilities and innovation roadmap made them the right choice for this deployment. The solution will help us improve pricing agility, operational efficiency and the overall in-store experience for our customers."
"Gratis is one of the most recognised retailers in Turkey’s beauty and personal care sector, making this selection particularly meaningful for Vusion," says Sébastien Fourcy, SEVP EMEA at Vusion. " It also reflects the strong commercial momentum we are building in Turkey, a market that is becoming an increasingly important growth driver for Vusion in the EMEA region. Through this first deployment phase, we are helping Gratis enhance agility and operational efficiency while building a platform for future innovation, including retail media and connected store services."
Bolla Oil Corporation
Bolla Oil Corporation, the operator of Bolla Market convenience stores, has selected PAR Technology as its partner to launch Bolla Rewards, the company’s first customer loyalty programme. Powered by PAR Retail, Bolla Rewards is designed to drive repeat in-store visits, deliver immediate customer value, and deepen engagement across more than 160 locations throughout the New York Tri-State area.
PAR powers both Bolla Rewards and the brand’s mobile app experience, while enabling further capabilities, including tobacco loyalty, planned for a later phase.
“The era of disconnected software is over. What Bolla is building with PAR isn’t a loyalty programme - it’s an intelligence layer that turns data across customers, operations, and engagement into real-time action at every location,” says Savneet Singh, CEO at PAR Technology. “That’s the difference between point solutions and a platform that compounds value.”
“Our customers have more choices than ever, and loyalty gives us a way to build stronger, more meaningful connections with them,” says Jay Singh, Vice President at Bolla Oil. “Bolla Rewards allows us to deliver immediate value through focused, easy to redeem offers while reinforcing the experience our guests expect every time they are at a Bolla Market. PAR Retail was the right partner to help us launch a programme designed to scale with our business and support long-term growth.”
HelloFresh
Locus Robotics reports that a cold storage hardware modification developed for HelloFresh has enabled the meal kit company to expand chilled fulfillment capacity from 100 SKUs to 500 SKUs, a fivefold increase that supports greater meal variety and new revenue opportunities across the HelloFresh brand portfolio.
Factor, a HelloFresh brand, first deployed 13 Locus Origin robots in July 2025 as part of an initial pilot. The robots averaged a mission time of 3 minutes and 36 seconds from order induction through box drop-off. HelloFresh expanded the deployment within three months with 26 additional robots, with plans to add EveryPlate fulfillment support later this year.
“Our customers expect more choice, more flexibility, and a consistently great experience,” says Brad Mesloh, Associate Director, Strategic Design at HelloFresh.
“Delivering that in a chilled fulfillment environment requires precision, speed, and technology that can adapt to the complexity of our operations. Locus Robotics gave our teams a simple, easy-to-use AMR platform that was faster, safer, and required less space than other options we evaluated. The implementation was extremely smooth, with much of the testing completed virtually before go-live. Once the robots were on the floor, final validation took only a few days, making the deployment much quicker and simpler than our legacy systems.”
British Airways ARC
British Airways ARC, an entertainment and music venue, recently opened its doors at London Olympia. Opening performances include Self Esteem and McFly, followed by Van Morrison, Khalid and The Black Keys later this year.
The 3,800-capacity venue forms part of a £1.3 billion transformation of Olympia.
Hamish Mcvey, Director of Marketing at British Airways, said: “British Airways ARC represents an exciting new chapter in our partnership with Olympia and AEG, and a step forward in how we connect our customers with unforgettable experiences, both in the air and on the ground. We’re proud to be a founding partner of a destination that celebrates British creativity and world class entertainment, and we can’t wait for our customers and Club members to step inside, take their seats and experience it for themselves.”
Boxbar Tech has been announced as the self-serve bar partner at the venue. In a LinkedIn post, the company said: “It has been a real privilege to work alongside AEG Presents UK and the wider project team on such an exciting development. The venue welcomed its first public events last week and the atmosphere was incredible. The permanent Boxbar Tech TapWall installation is located on the ground floor, just off the gig floor and within view of the stage. Fans can grab a drink in seconds and get straight back to the action without missing a moment.”
It concluded: “The energy throughout opening week was something special and we can’t wait to see the venue flourish in the months and years ahead.”
Asda
Asda has announced a partnership with Amazon Ads. This will see the UK grocery giant become the first retailer outside of the US to introduce Amazon Retail Ad Service to its online stores.
Rolling out in phases from Q4 this year, the partnership will use the solution to deliver more relevant ads based on real shopping behaviour and intent. In practical terms, customers who know what they’re looking for will find it faster, while those who don’t will be guided to relevant products in one place, with less effort.
Rachel Eyre, Asda’s Chief Customer and Digital Officer, says: “We serve millions of customers each week and this partnership is about using technology to improve the online shopping experience by helping them to quickly find what they need. At the same time, it creates a stronger retail media proposition, giving our current and future brand partners a more effective way to reach customers, using deeper insight to deliver impactful and measurable campaigns. This builds on the partnership with Ocado we announced recently and is another clear step forward in how we’re using technology to improve the Asda shopping experience.”
“Amazon’s Retail Ad Service gives UK advertisers the signals, measurement and scale they need, in a way that is seamless and familiar from day one. This partnership is a significant step in making Asda the most effective and frictionless place for brands to reach British shoppers.”
For advertisers, the partnership promises clearer insights and better measurement, alongside a simpler way to plan and execute campaigns through familiar Amazon Ads tools and consistent cross-platform reporting. It also enables brands to scale activity across Asda’s platforms and Amazon Ads inventory.
Disney Store
Disney Store has launched an AI Personal Shopping Assistant, with a pilot rolling out to select shoppers inside its iOS app. The solution is coming soon to all iOS app users with registered Disney Store accounts, with Android and browser support expected at a later date.
The move is pitched as a way to make shopping "easier and more magical," with AI being tapped to enhance product discovery and deliver a personal experience.
The assistant responds to natural, conversational language and mirrors Disney's brand voice, character knowledge, and full product range. Shoppers can ask for picks by character, age, occasion, or budget and get instant recommendations with availability, plus one click shopping, sale alerts, and real-time order tracking.
The move is part of CEO Josh D'Amaro's push to deploy AI across Disney's business.
Uber Eats
Uber Eats says that it is moving beyond food delivery, offering a marketplace that spans everyday needs, including skincare, shipping supplies, art materials, sporting goods, and pet supplies. Academy Sports + Outdoors broadens its sporting goods assortment across the US South, Southeast, and Midwest. Blick Art Materials adds art supplies, craft supplies, and creative gifts to Uber’s selection of art and retail goods, serving shoppers in New York City.
Choice Pet strengthens its pet supplies selection with added stores across New York and Connecticut. FedEx Office helps customers get what they need for business, work, school, or home projects. And Kiehl’s introduces a premium selection of skincare, haircare, and body products.
“Consumers are increasingly turning to Uber Eats for more than meals,” says Hashim Amin, Head of Retail for North America at Uber. “By welcoming a diverse group of retailers, we’re expanding access to a broader range of products, from pet supplies and sporting goods to arts and crafts materials and everyday essentials, all in just a few taps, while creating new opportunities for brands to connect with customers in faster, more flexible ways.”
Gardner White
DataXstream reports that Gardner White has selected OMS+ to support its sales and order management operations as part of its SAP S/4 HANA Public Cloud transformation.
The US retailer says that the move will enable it to unify sales, order management, pricing, inventory visibility and fulfillments onto a single, real-time platform, without introducing additional systems or data silos.
“Gardner White operates one of the most sophisticated retail selling models in the industry. Most order management systems simply aren’t built to handle this. OMS+ is,” says Sean Mitchell, Sr VP of Sales at DataXstream. “We're proud to partner with their team and give their associates the tools they need to deliver an exceptional customer experience from first conversation to final delivery.”
Asda
Asda is expanding its on-demand food delivery service, adding more than 300 superstores to the Deliveroo platform. Shoppers can now order through the Deliveroo app up until 11pm. This latest roll-out brings the total number of Asda locations offering its quick commerce service to over 850 stores.
Barney Burgess, Vice President for Online Grocery at Asda, says: “Our ability to offer customers a broad and ever‑growing range of services is a real strength for Asda, and expanding our partnership with Deliveroo builds on that. We’re focused on making shopping as convenient as possible, and by bringing Deliveroo to even more stores, customers can enjoy great Asda products and value delivered to their doorstep.”
Suzy McClintock, VP Consumer at Deliveroo, says: “Our expansion with Asda is a significant milestone in our continued mission to offer unmatched selection and great value groceries, delivered directly to your door. Now covering more than 850 stores and an increased range of over 10,000 products, we are bringing the ultimate convenience to more households across the UK.”
Warner’s Supermarket
Warner’s Supermarket is introducing new retail headset technology that enables colleagues to communicate instantly and respond to customer requests in real-time. The independently owned grocery retailer, located in the heart of the Cotswolds in Upton-upon-Severn, is one of the first stores to deploy Quail Digital's Pro12 retail headset system.
According to Warner's, the system has improved communication between colleagues across the shopfloor, checkouts and stockroom, helping teams coordinate daily operations more efficiently and respond faster during busy trading periods.
Store Manager Jack Cross says: "In busy supermarket environments, staff are often spread across multiple areas, including checkouts, the shop floor, stockroom and back office, making fast and reliable communication essential to delivering a smooth customer experience.
To support this, Warner's introduced the Pro12, enabling instant hands free communication between colleagues anywhere in the store. Having the ability to call a colleague, locate an item and get support immediately speeds things up for the customer and speeds things up for the team as well."
Previously, staff often needed to leave their department or physically locate colleagues to check stock availability, request assistance or answer customer queries. During busy trading periods, these delays could impact responsiveness and customer service.
The Magnum Ice Cream Company
The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC) has shared an update on its technology roadmap as it prepares for the planned sunset of key transitional services agreements (TSAs) with Unilever by the end of 2027.
It says that the roadmap is focused on putting in place practical, ready for the future digital foundations across areas including supply chain, sales, finance, procurement and other collaboration functions. As part of this work, the company has reviewed processes across the business to help select simpler, more intuitive systems that can support better visibility, collaboration and execution over time.
