The Very Group reshapes pricing with agentic AI: last week's most read RTIH retail technology articles
Check out our most clicked articles from last week, including UiPath, Vivobarefoot, Ocado Group, Tesco, Uber Eats, Deliveroo, Gap Inc., Microsoft, Waitrose, SOLUM, Savvy, Sephora, CeX, Auror, Wickes, and La-Z-Boy.
The Very Group teams with UiPath to deliver AI powered agentic pricing solution across retail brands
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.”
Ocado Group inks new automated customer fulfilment centre deal with unnamed European retailer
Ocado Group has announced an agreement to build a large customer fulfilment centre for a "fast growing European national retailer". The specific retailer has not been named, but we do know that Ocado will install its latest technology into the facility and it is due to go live in FY28.
The site will be equipped with Ocado’s Re:Imagined technology suite, including the 600s bot, On-Grid Robotic Pick (OGRP), and a fully automated freezer. Plans are afoot for the unnamed retailer to quickly transfer its existing online order volumes into the CFC, with the site expected to go live with utilisation at just over half of its design capacity.
Tim Steiner, Chief Executive at Ocado Group, says: “I’m delighted that our world leading automation and robotics have been chosen to help drive forward the online operations of another leading retailer. Together with our agreement with Asda earlier this year, this partnership highlights the growing demand for our solutions across the breadth of our technology offering.”
CeX tackles retail crime with roll-out of Auror platform in UK stores
Refurbished tech and entertainment retailer CeX has partnered with Auror to roll-out the firm’s crime reporting platform to its 390 UK stores. The platform allows colleagues to record instances of crime, giving CeX the intelligence needed to identify top offenders, make more informed decisions to protect their people and manage risk across their estates, and collaborate with police to investigate the most serious offenders.
CeX Head of Loss Prevention Derrick Gough says the secondhand retail sector faces a different set of risks that can often be misunderstood or overlooked.
"Because much of our stock isn't sitting out on the shopfloor, the crime we see is rarely ordinary shoplifting," he comments. "It's a phone snatched when someone asks to see a device, it's robberies, and unfortunately it's threats to our colleagues in escalated situations. Those moments are frightening for our teams. Their wellbeing is our top priority. Auror has given us a consistent way to record what's happened and surface the repeat offenders behind it - in fact, a prolific cross-country offender linked to £48,000 of stolen products at CeX was arrested following their last theft attempt in Edmonton.”
Gap Inc. Microsoft research finds that mindset beats mandate and there is such a thing as an AI hangover
Gap Inc. recently hosted a readout as part of its AI Learning Series, with representatives from Microsoft sharing results from a study the pair ran together last November.
In a LinkedIn post, Sven Gerjets, EVP, Chief Technology Officer at Gap Inc., said: “388 Gap Inc. employees volunteered to spend a day as research participants testing how AI adoption actually works. I want to thank every one of them!”
“Two findings stuck with me. First, mindset beats mandate. Teams forced into a rigid AI workflow did worse than teams left to figure it out themselves, more friction, lower quality, more incomplete work. But when we simply reframed AI as a thought partner instead of a tool, people produced meaningfully better work with the exact same access.”
He added: “Second, and this made me laugh, there is such a thing as an AI hangover. People who struggled through a forced workflow without the mindset shift carried that frustration into their next task and it measurably lowered how they felt about AI afterward.”
You can check the study out here.
Milestone for Sephora as it hits London and opens the doors to its first boutique store in UK market
Sephora UK has officially opened the doors to its first boutique store concept in the UK on London's Carnaby Street. The 2,691 sq ft location has been designed to bring Sephora's premium beauty experience to a more intimate, high street setting, while maintaining its signature service and product offer.
It also introduces Sephora's new Beauty Scan technology. Powered by a lens attached to a Beauty Advisor's phone, this analyses customers' skin to deliver insights beyond app only solutions, including oil and hydration levels for skincare needs and more precise foundation shade matching.
Sarah Boyd, Managing Director, Sephora UK, says: "Today (23rd July) marks an incredibly exciting milestone for Sephora UK as we officially open the doors to our very first boutique in market. Since returning to the UK, our community has continued to ask for more Sephora locations across central London, so we're incredibly proud to bring this exciting new format to one of the world's most iconic shopping destinations after a period of regional expansion.”
She adds: “Everything about this boutique has been designed around how our customers shop today. Whether they're discovering a new brand during their lunch break, browsing with friends at the weekend or looking for personalised beauty advice before an evening out, we've created a space that delivers everything people love about Sephora in a format that feels effortless, inspiring and perfectly suited to the rhythm of city life.”
“Carnaby Street has always been synonymous with creativity, individuality and self-expression values that perfectly reflect our own. We can't wait to welcome both Londoners and visitors from around the world into our newest store as we continue building the future of prestige beauty retail in the UK."
Waitrose hits 200-store milestone in nationwide Solum powered digital shelf technology programme
Waitrose reports that it has rolled out SOLUM electronic shelf labels to more than 200 stores nationwide. Since announcing the partnership in December 2025, the grocery retailer has continued deploying SOLUM’s Newton Pro ESLs across its estate to modernise how pricing and product information are managed in-store.
Mark Duckworth, Country Manager UK & Ireland at SOLUM, says: “Reaching the 200-store mark is an important milestone, but more importantly, it reflects how retailers are rethinking the role of technology within the store. Digital shelf technology is fast becoming part of the connected retail infrastructure that enables stores to respond more quickly, operate more efficiently and deliver a better experience for Partners and customers alike. We’re proud to be supporting Waitrose as it continues that journey.”
Waitrose says that it selected Newton Pro for its “premium design, reliability and suitability for food retail environments”. The solution enables centrally managed updates to pricing and product information across fresh, ambient and specialist categories, while maintaining the level of in-store presentation expected by Waitrose customers.
As the roll-out continues across additional stores, the programme represents part of its ongoing investment in digitally enabled retail operations.
Tesco ramps up rapid grocery delivery push as retail giant agrees Uber Eats and Deliveroo partnerships
Tesco has announced plans to launch on Uber Eats and Deliveroo.
Through its Whoosh service, it already offers store to door grocery delivery from as little as 20 minutes from around 1,800 stores, reaching more than 70% of the UK population. This launched in 2021 with around 1.5 million customers now using it.
The Uber Eats tie up will launch in August, and the one with Deliveroo will roll-out later this summer. Customers will be able to access hundreds of Clubcard Prices and collect Clubcard points when shopping Tesco through these platforms.
Ashwin Prasad, Tesco UK CEO, says: "Whoosh has transformed the way millions of customers shop with Tesco, offering speed, convenience and great value through the power of Clubcard. Launching with Uber Eats and Deliveroo will enable us to bring those benefits to even more customers.”
"Our online business continues to go from strength to strength, and these partnerships represent another important step in expanding our reach. By combining our market leading range, quality and value with the scale of Uber Eats and Deliveroo, we're making it even easier for more customers to shop with Tesco in the way that suits them best."
Chief Commercial & Technology Officer Steven Irwin ends run at shoe company Vivobarefoot
Steven Irwin has announced his departure from Vivobarefoot, where he spent almost three years, serving as Chief Commercial & Technology Officer. He joined the shoe company in 2024 from Hunters Boots, where he held the role of Chief Digital Officer. Irwin’s CV also includes stints at ASICS and Wolverine Worldwide.
In a LinkedIn post, in which he did not reveal his next move, he said: “After an amazing few years, I’ve made the very difficult decision to leave Vivobarefoot at the end of September and take on a new challenge closer to home. This wasn’t an easy decision. Vivo is truly a special business, filled with brilliant people, with bold ideas and a genuine ambition to change the way people think about footwear. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to play a part in that journey.”
He added: “Before I go, though, I have one important mission: helping find my successor. If you’re a commercially and or technologically minded leader who loves building brands, scaling businesses, leading exceptional teams and isn’t afraid to challenge convention, this is one of the best opportunities in consumer and retail. You’ll inherit an outstanding team, an iconic brand and plenty of opportunity to leave your mark. If that sounds like you, I’d genuinely love to hear from you.”
Social commerce reshapes young consumers' shopping journeys as e-commerce sites struggle to keep up
Carried out across 1,005 UK shoppers, the findings suggest social commerce is no longer an emerging channel but a growing force that's reshaping how younger consumers discover and buy products, raising expectations that traditional e-commerce sites increasingly struggle to meet.
While brand and retailer websites remain the UK's mostcused online shopping destination (used by 54% of Gen Z/Y and 52% of shoppers overall in the past three months), the research indicates that social platforms are rapidly narrowing the gap with conventional e-commerce for younger consumers, changing what they expect from the digital shopping experience.
Alastair Lockhart, Insight Director at Savvy, comments: “Since the birth of online shopping, e-commerce has offered shoppers range, convenience and practicality, but it has often lacked the excitement and theatre of physical retail. Social commerce is starting to change that. It brings together discovery, entertainment, social proof and instant purchase in a way that makes traditional ecommerce feel increasingly functional by comparison."
“For retailers, the challenge is not about whether to sell through TikTok Shop. It is how to make every channel - websites, apps and stores - feel more engaging, responsive and confidence building.”
Wickes thinks about the future and La-Z-Boy taps 3D: last week's biggest technology plays
Including GameStop, Tesco, Simbe, The Very Group, Asda, Vusion, Lidl, Costa Coffee, Wild Fork Foods, Decathlon, Asos, Pistola Denim, shu uemura, and Beauty Pie.
