Wickes thinks about the future as La-Z-Boy taps 3D: 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 GameStop, Tesco, Simbe, The Very Group, Asda, Vusion, Lidl, Costa Coffee, Wild Fork Foods, Decathlon, Asos, Pistola Denim, shu uemura, and Beauty Pie.

Wild Fork Foods

Wild Fork Foods has rolled out Thri5, an AI powered operating system, across the US, after a nine-week pilot that, according to those involved, moved sales, margin, and inventory accuracy across pilot stores.

In a LinkedIn post, Jeremy Pee, Co-founder and Co-CEO at Thri5, said: “The number I keep coming back to isn't the commercial one. It's this: in the pilot, 78% of the actions Thri5 surfaced got done. Among store managers, over 90%. Anyone who has rolled out technology to stores knows adoption is the difference between a return and a write-off. The pilot impresses, the demo lands, and six months later the tool sits unused because it made someone's day harder instead of easier.”

He added: “Frontline teams don't use tools out of loyalty, or because HQ asked. They adopt technology that make the business and their lives better. That completion rate meant the platform earned its place in their shift, and it's what made the commercial results possible. The results were the output. Adoption was the cause. The work now is earning that same adoption at national scale, store by store, shift by shift. It's the part of this we take most seriously. Grateful to the Wild Fork team for being the kind of operators who don't just experiment with AI, they operationalise it.”

DCYPHER Beauty

DCYPHER Beauty is making its physical retail debut with an exclusive UK roll-out in John Lewis, launching at the retailer’s Oxford Street, London flagship in August before expanding across its estate during spring 2027.

DCYPHER lays claim to being the first beauty brand globally to bring real-time, made to measure complexion technology into physical retail. The launch marks the first step in the brand's UK expansion ahead of planned US growth in 2027. Customers will be able to experience its patented AI technology in-store, analysing skin before creating a personalised complexion product made specifically for them within minutes.

"For too long, beauty has been built around compromise, asking customers to adapt to predefined shades and settle for the closest possible match," says DCYPHER Co-founder Ruth De Leo. "DCYPHER puts the individual at the centre of the entire process. There are no pre-made shades, no approximation and no compromise. Every product is designed around the customer, creating something that is precise, personal and unequivocally theirs."

"We are thrilled to be launching DCYPHER exclusively at John Lewis. We are committed to bringing our customers innovative, high quality brands, and I know this launch is something they will be really excited about," says Helen Spencer, Beauty Director at John Lewis.

"Traditional beauty growth relies on more - more products, more stock, more space," adds De Leo. "We're proving that growth can come from precision instead. We increase revenue by making better products, not more products."

Kuehne+Nagel

Kuehne+Nagel says it is boosting its digital capabilities in contract logistics through the evolution of KN SwiftLOG, its warehouse management system, into a cloud native platform with agentic AI capabilities. The deployment spans more than 1,000 sites in close to 100 countries. To support this, the platform is built on Blue Yonder. This brings KN SwiftLOG into a unified, cloud-based environment while continuing as Kuehne+Nagel’s established warehouse management system.

The global roll-out began in April and is being implemented in phases to ensure continuity of service. 

“Evolving KN SwiftLOG into a cloud native platform allows us to connect operations, data, and workflows more effectively across locations. As supply chains become more complex, improving efficiency remains a key driver for adopting cloud-based solutions. This shift supports consistent execution at scale and helps us respond more quickly to customer requirements, while maintaining reliable service delivery,” says Eduardo Razuck, Executive Vice President, Contract Logistics, Kuehne+Nagel.

The platform lays the foundation for more efficient and coordinated operations across the network, connecting warehouse activities with data driven insights and intelligent automation. This enables more accurate planning, clearer visibility, and faster responses to disruptions. The first customer deployment is planned to go live in Asia in July.

Wickes

The first Wickes pilot store has gone live with the home improvement retailer’s new unified commerce platform. It has embarked on a transformation of its till systems with a view to offering a seamless online/in-store customer experience and improved store inventory management. 

Plans are also afoot to implement an order management system to simplify its ordering and fulfilment capabilities and improve customer order accuracy. This will take place in two phases launching in 2026 and 2027.

In a LinkedIn post, Ben Dahan of Wickes said: “The future of retail at Wickes is officially here! If you read our last annual report, you may have noticed our CEO talk about the transformation of our till systems and other investment projects. Today (15th July) marked a historic milestone as our Woking branch became the first Wickes pilot store to go live with our new unified commerce platform. This wasn’t just a simple till upgrade, but rather the first phase of a major digital transformation.”

Dahan added: “Watching the very first transaction process on the new system was an unforgettable moment, and the excitement in the store was palpable - the result of meticulous planning, rigorous testing, and constant development turning into reality. Achieving a transformation of this scale is a major undertaking. A special shoutout to the countless Architects, Developers, Store Operations, and Project Managers who have worked tirelessly to bring this to market. Sharing the shopfloor with several of those key figures today, watching the systems come to life and celebrating this milestone together, made the launch all the more special for me.”

“Being on the frontline of this massive change is a privilege. Over these first few weeks of live trading, each piece of feedback and insight we share from the shopfloor will be critical in shaping the roll-out and deployment across the business, which carries its own levels of responsibility. It’s a challenge the whole team is proud to take on, as we help set the rest of the network up for success. Here’s to setting a new standard for retail at Wickes!”

La-Z-Boy

La-Z-Boy has announced the expanded use of new 3D Cloud technology to boost its omnichannel shopping and design experiences and to streamline internal operations. 

“We have believed, and invested, in innovation since our founding,” comments Melinda Whittington, CEO, La-Z-Boy Incorporated. “It’s how we have met and continue to meet our customers, partners, and team members' ever evolving needs to deliver value across the business.”

“The expansion of 3D Cloud’s upgraded, new API-based technology into our business processes means that we can show every product and configuration exactly as it will be built, replacing the time-intensive process of manual rendering production,” says Gerardo Ornelas, VP, Enterprise Digital Transformation at La-Z-Boy Incorporated. “The downstream impact of the expanded technology is positive. It gives our customers an improved shopping and design experience, while supporting our team with tools to move faster and align with merchandising priorities.”

GameStop

Uber Technologies and GameStop have announced a new partnership that brings the gaming retailer to the Uber Eats marketplace. Customers can now order video games, gaming consoles, accessories, collectibles etc from GameStop locations across the US on Uber Eats for scheduled or on-demand delivery.

"Whether they're replacing a controller before game night, picking up the latest game release on launch day, or grabbing a last minute gift, consumers increasingly expect gaming essentials and collectibles to be available on-demand," says Hashim Amin, Head of Grocery and Retail for Uber in North America. "Adding GameStop to Uber Eats strengthens our growing gaming and electronics selection, giving customers access to another trusted retailer they can shop with the speed and convenience they know from Uber."

Fragrance.com

Klarna is now available at checkout on Fragrance.com, a US online retailer over 40,000 products across fragrances, skincare, makeup, haircare, and candles. The integration is powered by Adyen. 

This gives Fragrance.com customers the ability to split purchases into four interest free installments, finance larger orders, and earn cashback on qualifying purchases.

"Fragrance.com has spent nearly three decades making premium beauty accessible, and that mission aligns with everything Klarna stands for," says David Sykes, Chief Commercial Officer at Klarna. 

"Beauty shoppers are loyal and intentional, they deserve payment options that match how they actually shop. We're proud to bring Klarna’s flexible payment options to one of the category's most trusted retailers."

"We're constantly looking at where we can remove friction,  in discovery, in browsing, and at checkout,” says Michael Nadboy, Chief Marketing Officer at Fragrance.com. “Our customers deserve an end-to-end experience that feels effortless, and offering Klarna is strengthening that experience, helping us to ensure every touchpoint lives up to the products we carry."

Jacksons Food Stores

PAR Technology reports that Jacksons Food Stores, a US convenience retailer with more than 300 locations, has selected PAR Retail to support the development of its customer loyalty programme, Let’s Go Rewards.

“Jacksons has built a strong loyalty programme by staying focused on what matters most to their customers,” says Todd Michael, SVP of Merchandising & Marketing. “As we look ahead, PAR Retail gives us the foundation we need to continue evolving Let’s Go Rewards, strengthening personalisation, and ensuring the programme can grow alongside our business.”

“Jacksons has spent decades building the kind of loyalty that can’t be manufactured,” says Savneet Singh, CEO at PAR Technology. “The challenge is knowing what to do with it across 300 locations. PAR Retail gives their team the intelligence to act on it. Not just to run a better programme, but to actually make better decisions for every customer, at every store.”

Decathlon

Vusion reports that Decathlon hit 700 stores equipped with its digital solutions during the second quarter 2026. The deployment now spans 54 countries across three continents (Europe, South America, and Asia-Pacific), making the sporting goods retailer Vusion's most internationally deployed customer to date.

Decathlon taps the company’s platform to automate price management. With instant, synchronised price updates on electronic shelf labels (ESL), store teams are freed from the time-consuming task of manually replacing paper price tags. As a result, they can dedicate more time to welcoming customers, delivering personalised advice and service to sports enthusiast customers. Meanwhile, discrepancies between the shelf price and the price charged at checkout are nearly eliminated, those involved claim. 

“Thanks to ESLs, we have further enhanced the in-store experience while improving our operational efficiency. Deploying connected shelf labels at scale enables us to focus on our core mission: advising and supporting our sports customers. This project delivers immediate, tangible benefits for both our store teams and consumers,” comments Xavier Dété, VP Innovation at Decathlon.

“We are particularly proud to support Decathlon, a global retail leader highly valued by its customers and recognised for both the strength of its brand and its commitment to sustainability. This large scale partnership demonstrates our ability to support leading global retailers and industrialise our cutting-edge solutions in the demanding sporting goods sector - a high potential market where Vusion continues to strengthen its leadership position,” comments Sébastien Fourcy, SEVP EMEA at Vusion.

Tractor Supply Company

Tractor Supply Company, the largest rural lifestyle retailer in the United States, has announced a new nationwide partnership offering same-day delivery from more than 2,400 of its stores through the Instacart app and website.

Customers can now shop Tractor Supply's assortment on Instacart, including pet food and supplies, livestock feed, farm and ranch products, garden essentials, tools and hardware, with delivery in as fast as one hour at no markups.

"We're excited to bring Tractor Supply's trusted assortment of home, animal, and yard products to Instacart customers across the country," says Blake Wallace, Vice President of Retail Partnerships at Instacart. "Tractor Supply is a beloved brand with a broad reach that serves customers in communities of all kinds, and with Instacart, those customers can get what they need delivered to their door in as fast as an hour."

"We're committed to making living the Life Out Here lifestyle easier and more convenient," says Matthew Rubin, SVP and President of Digital & Ecommerce at Tractor Supply Company. "Our partnership with Instacart provides customers with another seamless way to shop Tractor Supply, combining the products they trust with the speed and convenience of Instacart delivery. This partnership also introduces us to millions of Instacart users as a dependable supplier of the products they need to care for their pets, animals and land.

Asos

Asos has announced Rina Lipa, a British model and social media personality and the younger sister of pop star Dua Lipa, as its Style Dilemma Director, a new role created to help customers solve everyday style dilemmas.

Research commissioned by the fast fashion giant found that 92% of UK online shoppers aged 18–35 would like to see complete outfits styled for them, while 74% say everyday, trend relevant fashion inspiration is most useful when deciding what to wear.

It says that this appointment is the latest step in its strategy of co-creating with talent whose style authority resonates with its customers, putting creators and cultural figures at the heart of how the retailer curates, styles and presents fashion, rather than simply fronting campaigns. 

Earlier this summer, Olivia Neill took over Asos social channels as Out of Office Director, wiping the feed and reimagining it in her own image. The takeover delivered nine million views and 90% engagement uplift, making it Asos’ most successful social activation to date. 

As Style Dilemma Director, Rina Lipa has curated a new pop-up destination on the Asos app and website built around one question: “What to wear to…?”  The microsite features 25 womenswear and 25 menswear looks selected by Lipa for key summer occasions: weddings, holidays, festivals, city breaks and spontaneous plans. Each is a complete, shoppable outfit with styling tips, built around real-life dilemmas rather than product categories. 

The Very Group

UiPath has announced a three-year partnership with The Very Group to revamp its pricing strategy using agentic AI. The pair will work together to implement an AI powered, agentic pricing solution that aims to bring faster and more transparent decision-making across the latter’s retail brands. 

“Our partnership with The Very Group demonstrates how agentic AI can fundamentally reshape retail pricing,” says Catherine Frame, Director, Retail Solutions at UiPath. “By combining automation with intelligent, explainable decision-making, retailers can better access a strategic, data led approach that drives both profitability and customer value.”

Sam Wright, Chief Customer and Commercial Officer at The Very Group, comments: “We have a range of over 200,000 products and pricing is one of the most powerful levers in retail. The combination of our expertise and their data is helping Very stay ahead of shifting consumer demand and trends to make more informed decisions on pricing and merchandising.” 

Pistola Denim

Inspectorio, an AI powered platform for quality, compliance, sustainability, and traceability, reports that Los Angeles-based womenswear brand Pistola Denim will implement its quality management platform to improve product quality across its global supplier network.

“We have built a loyal following around our brand’s consistent fit, finish and durability, something that no competitor can match at our price points,” says Daryl Rosenberg, VP of Global Supply Chain, Pistola Denim. “Inspectorio’s purpose built quality management platform gives our teams and manufacturing partners one place to work from as we expand into full, ready to wear collections, so we can scale production without compromising on what our customers expect from the brand.” 

“Brands like Pistola Denim face growing pressure to digitise quality operations and deliver consistency at scale without adding manual overhead,” says Chirag Patel, CEO at Inspectorio. “Our platform is uniquely positioned to help Pistola Denim do this while protecting its promise to consumers, a mission we’re proud to support.”

Beauty Pie

Beauty Pie reports that it is now on Shopify. Its members pay an annual fee to access premium beauty, wellness, and lifestyle products at warehouse direct pricing. This model brings complexity to the technology stack, with products available to purchase if people just want a product, or available at lower prices if they are a member. To support its next phase of growth, it decided to move to Shopify.

Beauty Pie says that it now has a faster route to international markets, with the ability to adapt pricing, catalogues, language, and checkout with lower effort and faster time to launch, and is also able to make use of Shopify's various capabilities and apps.

As it considers expanding into owned retail stores, it wanted to ensure that there would be no technology issue in providing members in-store with the same experience as they have online through one connected journey. It will tap Shopify POS for this.

Tesco

Tesco is trialling Simbe’s Tally in-store shelf scanning robot. This is taking place at a single store, with plans to extend the pilot to a small number of other locations.

A photo of Tally in action was added to Reddit with the poster noting that “nobody went within 5ft of it and kept giving it side eye”.

Last year, in a UK first, Morrisons also tested out Tally. Toby Pickard, Retail Futures Senior Partner at IGD, and a member of the judging panel for the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards, first brought this to RTIH’s attention.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: “I saw a Tally robot from Simbe in a Morrisons. This is the first time Tally has been deployed in the UK. It has only been in store for a few weeks, and there are two other stores trialling the technology. The tech should help with price accuracy and stock availability, along with other benefits. It is great to see technology being tested in UK retail that can help store associates and improve the shopping experience.”

Seamus McHugh, Head of European Market Development at Simbe, commented: “Delighted to have Tally live in the UK and to be working with the innovative team at Morrisons on this project. This is a significant milestone for Simbe as we add another country and a new retailer to our growing list of deployments.”

OurCoop

LoweConex reports that it has expanded its work across the newly formed co-operative retail society, OurCoop, following the coming together of Central Co-op, Chelmsford Star Co-operative and Midcounties Co-operative in January.

It will now be supporting the society with centralised refrigeration and HVAC telemetry through Conex OS, its connected estate platform. Teams will be able to get ahead of refrigeration faults, improve alarm intelligence, increase work order accuracy and strengthen insight across critical store infrastructure.

This builds on a deployment delivered across the former Midcounties Co-operative estate two years ago, now bringing both co-operative retail estates into scope for centralised telemetry, Conex OS deployment and ongoing professional services for facilities management optimisation.

Conex OS connects and normalises data from fragmented operational systems, creating one place to observe, manage and act on estate wide performance. Alongside the platform, LoweConex will identify opportunities for continuous improvement, maximise energy optimisation and improve long-term asset performance.

Asda

Asda reports the launch of Natasha’s Law allergen and calorie information for bakery products on Vusion electronic shelf edge labels across 150+ of its Express stores.

Natasha’s Law, introduced in October 2021, is regulation focused on food allergen labelling in the UK. It is named after Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who died aged 15 after eating a baguette containing sesame seeds to which she was allergic. Sesame wasn’t listed as an ingredient on the packaging. It requires all pre-packed foods for direct sale - food made on the premises and packaged for sale, such as sandwiches, salads and cakes - to display a full ingredients list with the top 14 allergens clearly highlighted. 

In a LinkedIn post, Tom Clark, Wholesale and Convenience Service Manager at Asda, said: “This is a significant step forward in making food information clearer, more accessible, and compliant for our customers; helping them make informed and safe choices every day. What makes this launch especially impactful: Improved efficiency in how we manage and update product information; The ability to stay safe and legally compliant with timely updates and changes; Simple, clear display for both store colleagues and customers; Efficient way of working with little to no resource used in-store.”

He added: “I’m especially proud to have played a key role in bringing this to life; setting up the templates, ensuring all information is accurate and relevant, and working closely with food safety compliance teams to get everything reviewed and signed off. A fantastic team effort and a great example of how the right technology can enhance both safety and efficient operations. Continuing to utilise our great tech partners like Vusion to deliver greater operations in our stores. On to the next milestone!”

Glacier

Glacier, a European pureplay manufacturer of private label and co-manufactured ice cream and frozen desserts, has announced a €45 million investment programme that, it says, will expand production capacity, accelerate innovation and support international growth across its operations.

This will fund two new production lines in Italy to expand capacity in high growth product categories, alongside investment in additional warehousing, automation capabilities and upgrades to cooling facilities at its Langemark site in Belgium.

The new production lines will be dedicated to extruded ice creams and linear moulded ice lollies, to meet growing consumer demand for fruit-based ice creams that offer a lighter, lower calorie alternative. The first line will produce spiral ice cream lollies and fruit coated sticks, doubling the company’s manufacturing capacity in these formats. The second will expand Glacier’s water ice capabilities, increasing manufacturing speed while enabling the production of lollies with up to seven layered flavours.

Longer term, Glacier is in the process of creating a dedicated innovation centre at its Cavriago site in Italy, establishing a collaborative space where customers can co-develop, refine and test new products alongside the company’s innovation teams. The site is currently in its final design stage with plans for completion by the end of the year.

The new facility will, according to those involved, accelerate the speed at which Glacier can bring products to market, strengthen its product development capabilities and feature a multi-sensory kitchen and interactive studio where customers can taste new concepts while watching the product development process.

Matt Frost, Managing Director at Glacier, says: “Consumer expectations of ice cream continue to evolve, with growing demand for premium products, exciting new formats and lighter, fruit-based options that don't compromise on enjoyment. This investment strengthens our ability to respond to those trends, from expanding our fast growing bites portfolio to creating more innovative water ice and extruded products. Combined with our continued investment in innovation, it ensures we can help our retail and brand partners bring differentiated products to market more quickly than ever before."

shu uemura 

shu uemura, a Japanese makeup artist brand owned by L’Oréal, is introducing in-store technology developed by Loook.ai. An AI mirror is now live at the brand’s newly designed global flagship store, shu:ARTstage in Omotesando Hills Tokyo, where customers can experience a real mirror featuring AI powered 3D facial scanning that delivers instant facial insights for makeup artists to translate into personalised beauty recommendations.

The experience starts through a touch interface styled as a digital makeup brush. Once a customer begins the scan, the mirror guides them through a short sequence: a full face scan, a reveal of their face shape, a breakdown of their face ratio, an assessment of feature balance, and a personalised face ID summary. 

That summary brings together the customer’s face shape, ratio, and feature balance into a set of specific recommendations, for example, brow shaping or contouring techniques suited to that particular face, along with a suggested next step, such as booking a sit-down session with a shu uemura makeup artist to bring those recommendations to life.

“We aim to continuously innovate to push the boundaries of artistic expression through technology,” says Jaron Chan, International Brand General Manager at shu uemura. "The 3D face ID scan at our new shu:ARTstage flagship in Omotesando Hills represents the ongoing mastery of our founder’s pioneering spirit. Tradition is a continuous cycle of innovation. By fusing digital technology with the expertise of our makeup artists, we are redefining the future of retail beauty to help reveal each individual’s unique beauty.”

SmartNovo

SmartNovo has announced the launch of its first AI powered autonomous store. This will go live in Poland under the Lewiatan brand, with technology partners including NVIDIA, Starlink, and Nobisoft.

In a LinkedIn post, founder Phi Long Bui said: "Proud to finally share what we've been quietly working on: SmartNova - the store that is controlled by AI.  It's an autonomous 24/7 store. 21 square metres. No staff, no queues. You scan, you shop, you walk out. AI is the store manager, the cashier, the security guard, and the marketing team, all in one system.”

Said platform controls door access, tracks every product in real-time, detects theft, responds to falls, changes prices of products using smart tags, and also decides which promotions to run and when. When stock runs low, the AI dispatches a human assistant to replenish exactly what it asks for.

Bui added: "Humans don't run this store, they work for it. The whole container, fully stocked, loads straight onto a truck and relocates anywhere in under an hour. Move it to a busier corner, a new city, a new region, you never lose the store. It just reopens somewhere better."

"The design is EU registered, and the system is built to be GDPR compliant from the ground up, no identities stored. It's legally classified as a vending machine. No lengthy permits, no construction. All you need is a plot the size of two parking spaces, and a brand can have a fully stocked, staffless store running in days. This isn't just for supermarkets either. Any brand can run one."

After SmartNovo opens it first unit under the Lewiatan brand, the plan is to expand steadily across Poland and CEE. “Soon you'll see these container stores everywhere, with a growing line of brands currently on the waitlist,” Bui concluded.

Lidl

Lidl Plus is now live in all countries where the discount retailer has stores. A launch in the US on 15th July marked the final step in the loyalty and rewards app’s international expansion. There are now 120+ million users across 32 countries.

"Launching a platform at global scale across continents and time zones requires more than excellent tech and project management. It takes clear strategic alignment, seamless cross-functional collaboration, and an exceptional team committed to one shared goal," says Linus Himzmann, Global SVP and Board Member at Lidl International.

"What excites me most isn’t the scale itself - it’s what it enables: faster learning, better customer experiences, and new value through AI on one shared platform."

Yours Clothing

Yours Clothing, a UK plus size fashion retailer, has announced the launch of Shopify's Shop Pay, while continuing to run on its existing commerce platform on a non-Shopify storefront. The integration was delivered by Remarkable Commerce.

Antony Talbot, Trading Director at Yours Clothing, says: "We're always looking for ways to make shopping faster and more convenient for our customers. Bringing Shop Pay to our website is another step in delivering the seamless experience our customers expect."

"By working with Shopify and Remarkable Commerce, we've introduced one of the world's leading accelerated checkout solutions while continuing to build on the flexibility of our existing platform. To celebrate the launch, customers who check out using Shop Pay will receive 200 points towards Yours Clothing Rewards Club when signing up, making it even more rewarding to shop with us. We're excited to see the positive impact this will have on our customers and our business.”

Costa Coffee

Costa Coffee has returned to London Luton Airport, stumping up over £750,000 for the opening of a new 24/7 store. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, this is located within departures and features touchscreen ordering and Click & Collect via the Costa Club app.

Armend Xhema, Area Manager at Costa Coffee, says: “We’re incredibly proud to be bringing Costa Coffee back to London Luton Airport. With our latest modern design, digital ordering and 24/7 service, we’re ready to serve passengers and airport teams whenever they need us.” 

Mark Jennings, Interim Director of Non-Aeronautical Revenues at London Luton Airport, comments: “We’re thrilled to welcome Costa Coffee to London Luton Airport. Costa Coffee joins more than 40 other shops and restaurants that our passengers can enjoy at the airport and will be particularly welcome news for coffee shop connoisseurs.”

“Whether it’s a pre-flight flat white, a mid-morning matcha or getting holiday ready with a refreshing fruit cooler, the arrival of Costa Coffee, and its ever-popular seasonal menus, will be a huge hit with our passengers. Bringing yet another high street favourite to LLA demonstrates our commitment to offering even greater choice and underpins our simple and friendly passenger experience.”