Digital innovation milestone for AI focused Dunelm: last week’s biggest retail technology plays
RTIH rounds up the stand out retail technology deals, launches, deployments and pilots from the past seven days. Including AS Watson, NCR Voyix, AllSaints, Burger King, Hugo Boss, Just Eat, Entain, Amazon, Currys, Asda, Delhaize, Kroger, SPAR International, Huck's Market, Supermercados El Jamón, and Delivery Hero.
AS Watson
NCR Voyix has announced a new multi-year agreement with AS Watson, a health and beauty retailer, that expands their retail technology partnership.
Under the agreement, AS Watson will adopt the Voyix Commerce Platform, deploying Voyix POS, self-checkout, loyalty and managed services across select retail brands and markets in Europe and Asia, including Watsons in Hong Kong, Malaysia and the Philippines; Superdrug and Savers in the UK; Kruidvat in the Netherlands; and Drogas in Latvia.
“This agreement marks an important milestone in the evolution of AS Watson’s retail technology landscape,” says Gerrit-Jan Steenbergen, Group Retail Technology Director, AS Watson. “By adopting the NCR Voyix Commerce Platform, we are creating a modern, scalable and cloud native foundation that will help our brands deliver exceptional customer experience while accelerating innovation across our global operations.”
“NCR Voyix understands the growth requirements of AS Watson and has proven to be a valued strategic partner. Together, we are building the platform that will support the next phase of our O+O growth and retail transformation journey.”
AllSaints
Fashion retailer AllSaints has launched a new customer engagement platform in partnership with Klaviyo. In a LinkedIn post, Alfie Meekings, Chief Transformation and Technology Officer at AllSaints and John Varvatos, said: “One of our core values at AllSaints is 'the customer is the boss' and so naturally one of our key transformation pillars is deeply focused on how we bring even more amazing experiences to our customers.”
He added: “This year, the focus is on how we empower our amazing global teams to be able to drive more personalised content and build genuine connection with people that want to connect with our brand. I'm pleased to share that last week we went live with a new customer engagement platform with Klaviyo to help us do exactly that. We'll be able to offer content that is far more personalised at a global scale, open new channels and ways to connect with our customers and make sure that the engine that sits behind it all is optimised with AI.”
“Getting this done so quickly and smoothly was a big cross-functional effort. This is also a significant project as it's the first that's been delivered by our new engineering team at our GCC in India led by Vijay Venugopal. Also a big thank you for the amazing partnership from team Klaviyo.”
Delivery Hero
Delivery Hero, a German multinational online food ordering and food delivery company, has unveiled its new agentic AI assistant pitched at neighbourhood shops and restaurants to seamlessly accelerate their business.
“Small business owners have a lot to juggle and our new AI assistant helps them grow faster without adding to their workload,” says Johannes Bruder, Chief Product Officer at Delivery Hero. “What makes it different is that it doesn't just advise. It acts on behalf of business owners, the moment they approve, right inside a messaging app they already use. It’s an exciting part of our agentic AI strategy that we now roll-out across our global platform as we build the app that customers reach for every day.”
Shop and restaurant owners interact with the assistant through chats on WhatsApp. They can use text, voice notes and images to ask the assistant for help directly, or, if the owner allows, it can also make suggestions independently. If the owner approves a recommendation, the assistant can directly implement the changes.
Amazon
There has been a lot of chatter this year about AutoStore and Amazon, the result of a jobs posting by the latter seeking staff with experience of the former. And now we have an official announcement.
The pair have shaken hands on an agreement that establishes a framework for the supply of AutoStore’s products and solutions to Amazon on a global basis. Whilst the agreement defines the terms for further procurement of AutoStore systems by Amazon, it does not contain any purchasing commitments at this time, a press release notes.
While this will no doubt boost AutoStore's share price, it should be noted that Amazon has announced similar agreements in the past, for example with Balyo, which did not result in significant sales. Balyo was taken private in 2026 by SoftBank Group Corp. which also remains a significant shareholder in AutoStore (and various others).
Currys
Currys says it is improving customer engagement with the NiCE CXone platform. Working with partner Concentrix, the retailer has turned its customer service environment into a unified, cloud-based engagement platform spanning voice, email and social channels.
The initiative supports customers across product purchases, mobile services, delivery, installation, repairs and ongoing support, with the aim of enabling more seamless experiences across every touchpoint. Every interaction is captured, transcribed, and analysed, providing actionable insight into customer needs, service friction points and opportunities for continuous improvement.
First contact resolution now runs at nearly 80%, while the contact-to-order ratio fell to 0.18 per sales order, meaning fewer customers need to make contact for every order placed. For the main Currys business, a six-point NPS improvement was delivered during the initial migration period. In one area, Currys saw complaints fall by roughly half over 18 months and NPS rise by more than 20 points. Plans are afoot to extend CXone across the wider business.
It now supports hundreds of advisors across Currys' internal and outsourced operations across the UK, South Africa and India, managing nearly six million customer interactions annually. Concentrix supported the transformation by helping operationalise CXone across complex multichannel environments and translating analytics into measurable frontline improvements.
Hugo Boss
Hugo Boss will this month take a next step in its digital journey, namely the relaunch of hugoboss.com and its app.
In a LinkedIn post, Jan Philipp Wintjes, Executive Vice President Global Omnichannel, said: “The ambition behind it is simple: make the world of Hugo Boss easier to discover, explore and experience.”
“From Boss and Hugo to Beckham, and across men and women, our brands and universes now come together with a clearer, more intuitive presence, helping customers move seamlessly between inspiration, storytelling and product discovery. New arrivals are easier to explore. Seasonal inspiration and storytelling are more closely connected to product. And the overall journey is designed to feel simpler, more inspiring and more seamless.”
He added: “For me, that’s what a great digital flagship should do: reduce complexity for the customer while bringing the full strength of a brand to life. Excited to see how our customers experience it, and even more excited about what comes next. What makes a digital brand experience truly great for you: inspiration, simplicity, personalisation … or something else?”
Dunelm
Dunelm has announced a new AI powered shopping assistant, now live in the retailer's app on iOS. Developed in partnership with Google Cloud, Ask Dunelm enables customers to describe what they are looking for in their own words, ask questions about products, visualise products in their homes, and receive tailored recommendations.
A Dunelm spokesperson says: "As one of the first UK retailers to launch this new technology, Ask Dunelm marks another important milestone in our digital innovation journey and our continued investment in creating seamless, personalised experiences across our omnichannel offer."
"This launch reflects the combined efforts of multiple teams across Dunelm, alongside our partners at Google Cloud. A huge thank you to everyone involved in bringing Ask Dunelm to life. We're looking forward to continuing to evolve our digital experience, with more exciting developments planned for our app in the future."
Delhaize
Delhaize, part of the Ahold Delhaize Group, has deployed SymphonyAI's demand forecasting and replenishment solutions across its 600-store affiliated network and five distribution centres in Belgium.
The Delhaize Le Lion/De Leeuw network has 1,113 stores in Belgium and Luxembourg. The store network consists of different formulas: Delhaize, Proxy, Shop&Go and louis delhaize. Customers can also shop online via www.delhaize.be, and either pick up their products at the collect points or have them delivered to their homes. Delhaize offers a range of over 20,000 quality products.
"Building a best-in-class supply chain on a pure B2B affiliate model is a different challenge than running a traditional retail operation. You cannot push inventory risk downstream to your partners - forecasting has to be right, or you absorb the cost," says Géraldine Durant, Supply Chain Replenishment and Master Data Director at Delhaize. "We have worked with SymphonyAI for more than 15 years, and the decision to move to their AI-based forecasting models was one we made with confidence. The results across both our distribution network and affiliated stores have validated that decision. We are continuing to improve forecast accuracy each year, and our roadmap with SymphonyAI gives us a clear path to raising the bar further."
SPAR International
SPAR International has appointed Quail Digital as a preferred international supplier following the roll-out of more than 3,000 retail headsets across over 500 SPAR stores throughout the UK and Ireland.
The deployment represents almost one in five of the approximately 2,700 SPAR stores operating across the two markets, making it one of the largest retail communication headset roll-outs in the UK convenience sector, according to Quail Digital.
Store teams use the digital communication system to coordinate replenishment, respond to customer requests, improve communication between colleagues and support day-to-day store operations. Quail Digital estimates colleagues now exchange thousands of communications each day using the headset system across the SPAR network.
Tom Downes, Founder and CEO at Quail Digital, says: “Communication underpins almost every activity that takes place inside a supermarket, yet many retailers are still relying on systems that were never designed for today's retail environment. Being recognised as a SPAR international preferred supplier is an important milestone for us. It reflects the success we've achieved working alongside SPAR retailers across the UK and Ireland and demonstrates the value better communication can bring to store operations. The best communication is the communication nobody has to think about. When technology simply works, colleagues can focus on serving customers, supporting one another and keeping the store running smoothly.”
Dave Pickford from James Hall & Co. Ltd, a primary wholesaler and distributor for SPAR across the North of England, says: “There has been a great improvement to store efficiency. If we were to take away the headsets now, our employees wouldn't be happy. It's been a great success.”
Asda
Merkle has announced an expanded partnership with Asda to support the next phase of digital growth for George, the UK grocery retailer’s clothing and homeware brand.
Building on an 18-year relationship, Merkle will lead a new programme designed to accelerate online growth and enhance customer experience for George. This builds on its existing remit to deliver end-to-end digital support for the brand. At the heart of this move is a jointly developed transformation programme focused on scaling George’s digital business over the next five years. The aim here is to create a more connected, insight led and commercially effective digital model.
Just Eat
Just Eat has launched its AI voice assistant solution across Europe. It is laying claim to being the first major on-demand delivery platform to deploy a conversational AI assistant at scale across European markets.
Rolled out in the UK and Germany earlier this year, and available on both iOS and Android, this is designed to help customers discover local restaurants, grocers and shops through natural conversation, making it easier to explore new options when they aren't quite sure what they fancy.
Early data from the UK launch shows customers using Voice AI are able to find what they're looking for around 40% faster than those using the text only AI assistant. They are also 30% more likely to choose a recommended restaurant or dish than customers browsing through the traditional search experience.
Jörg Gerbig, Chief Corporate Development Officer at Just Eat, says: "The biggest challenge in food delivery today isn't finding restaurants. It's deciding. Every evening, millions of people ask themselves the same question: 'What do I feel like eating?' Our AI voice assistant removes the friction from ordering, letting customers describe what they want in their own words, just like talking to a friend. The future of convenience isn't about giving people more choices. It's about giving them the right choice."
Spark New Zealand
Telecommunications and digital services company, Spark New Zealand, is partnering with Auror. Auror’s retail crime reporting platform will be introduced across Spark’s retail store network, making it easier for teams to record and manage incidents, and giving it a clearer view of the trends affecting its stores.
Spark General Manager Consumer Channels, Mandy Tomlinson, says: "Our people come to work to help New Zealanders stay connected, and they should be able to do that safely,” Tomlinson said. “Introducing Auror’s platform will make it easier for our people to report incidents and will give us better visibility of trends across our retail stores. That information will help us strengthen our processes, better support our teams and work more effectively with police when required.”
Auror Vice President Australia and New Zealand, Brett Farley, comments: “The way retailers and police in New Zealand are working together through digital collaboration and information sharing to clamp down on retail crime is genuinely world leading, and it’s fantastic to help make Spark NZ a part of that. What matters to us is keeping people and stores safe. We’re on a mission to reduce violent retail crime by 50% in five years, and we’re privileged to work with Spark NZ to help make that a reality across the country.”
Supermercados El Jamón
Supermercados El Jamón has selected Hanshow's electronic shelf label (ESL) solution to support the next phase of its in-store digital transformation push. The initiative includes the installation of nearly three million ESLs across its store network in southern Spain over the next three years.
A Hanshow spokesperson says: “With more than 370 supermarkets and celebrating its 60 years of history, Supermercados El Jamón is a well established food retailer with deep roots in the communities it serves. As the business continues to grow, it remains focused on creating store environments that work better for both customers and in-store teams.”
They add: “With this project, Supermercados El Jamón reaffirms its commitment to a modern, efficient, and sustainable supermarket model, where technological innovation is put at the service of people. Thank you to the team for their trust and collaboration. We look forward to continuing to support them on their journey ahead.”
Burger King
Palmer Digital Group has been selected as an approved supplier of outdoor digital menu board systems for Burger King franchisees across the United States and Canada. The agreement allows franchisees to purchase PDG's single and triple panel outdoor digital menu board (ODMB) systems.
Installations are now underway, with the first locations opening in Wisconsin and approximately 18 orders placed thus far. PDG expects roughly 30 Burger King locations to be operational by the end of the third quarter and approximately 50 by the end of 2026.
"This partnership is another validation of what we've built over the last several years," says Chuck Lewis, President at Palmer Digital Group. "Being selected by one of the world's most recognised QSR brands reinforces our reputation for delivering reliable, innovative outdoor digital menu board solutions that are designed to last while making installation and long-term ownership easier for operators."
Huck's Market
Huck’s Market, a convenience retailer with 135 locations across the US Midwest, reports that its online ordering and delivery business has surpassed $100,000 in weekly sales. It says that this reflects the growing role of digital commerce within its broader digital transformation efforts, driven by expansion across both first-party ordering and third-party marketplaces.
"For years, we’ve believed that convenience retailing has to become more digitally native," says Jon Bunch, Vice President of Digital Marketing, Technology, and Innovation at Huck's Market. “We've been building toward that future through deliberate investments in our stores, operations, and strategic technology solutions, enabling us to serve our customers wherever and however they choose to shop."
Working in partnership with Vroom Delivery, Huck's Market says it has turned what had previously been a fragmented delivery operation into a centralised digital commerce platform. The company’s omnichannel strategy now spans first-party ordering on the Huck's Bucks Bigg Rewards app, Godfather's Pizza first-party ordering, and third-party marketplaces including DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub. Most recently, Huck's expanded its reach with standalone Godfather's Pizza restaurant listings on DoorDash.
Entain
Barron McCann, a specialist in retail technology services, has secured a three-year contract with FTSE 100 sports betting and gaming giant Entain. The deal will see it deliver multi-device engineering support and lifecycle infrastructure services across Entain’s UK high street retail estate, operating under the Ladbrokes and Coral banners.
It covers over 2,000 retail locations nationwide, supporting key constituent parts of Entain’s digital shop floor layout. This includes full seven days a week engineering coverage with extended operating hours and a four-hour hardware fix guarantee. Barron McCann landed the tie up following an extensive commercial tender process involving a large consideration set of major IT manufacturers and service providers.
Entain says its evaluation panel was particularly impressed by the company’s specialised workshop capabilities, engineering innovation, and value- ocused approach to circular asset management. Barron McCann’s workshop and re-life facilities provide sustainable component level repairs, utilising technologies such as custom 3D printing for legacy OEM parts. This capability allows it to build an independent, robust repair supply chain for original equipment manufacturer hardware, mitigating the need for costly complete terminal replacements while reducing total cost of ownership.
Kroger
500 of Simbe's Tally inventory robots are now in operation across Kroger's store network. The milestone was achieved at its newest Smith’s Marketplace location. In a LinkedIn post, Shaun Buck of Smith's Food & Drug Centers, said: "We’re excited to welcome the 500th Tally robot across all of Kroger to our Smith’s Marketplace team!"
"It’s an honour to have our store selected for this achievement. Our team is excited to put Tally to work and use this technology to strengthen our in-stock conditions, improve shelf accuracy, and continue finding new ways to better serve our customers."
"Technology like this allows our associates to spend more time helping customers while giving us better insights to keep the store looking its best. We’re looking forward to seeing the impact Tally will have as we continue working to deliver the best possible shopping experience for our community."
"A huge thank you to our incredible team for embracing new technology and always putting our customers first. Here’s to continuing to raise the bar every day!"
