Former McDonald’s and Compass Group executive Jon Braithwaite connects with Co-op as new Group CDIO
Jon Braithwaite has joined Co-op as Interim Group Chief Digital and Information Officer. His CV includes stints at McDonald’s, Compass Group, and Gala Coral Group. Braithwaite is also an advisory board member at micro-donations specialist Pennies.
In a LinkedIn post, he said: “Co-op is a business that combines commercial scale with genuine social purpose, and few organisations are as trusted. Technology sits right at the heart of how we serve member-owners, customers and colleagues. I'm looking forward to working with the brilliant team here and building on the momentum already underway. Exciting times ahead.”
eStoreBrands
Digital commerce data specialist eStoreBrands has announced a new partnership with Co-op to launch Co-op Catalyst, an analytics platform for the quick commerce category. The platform gives suppliers direct access to Co-op's own q-commerce data across coop.co.uk and its delivery aggregator partners.
Suppliers can track product performance, search positioning and store level availability, and use the same data as their Co-op category team. Backed by Co-op's footprint of 2,300 convenience stores and its aggregator partnerships, Catalyst is pitched as providing an up-to-date view of the UK's quick commerce convenience market that has not been available to suppliers before.
Francis Nicholas, VP Product Strategy at eStoreBrands, says: "Having worked for brand owners including P&G and Nomad Foods, I know first-hand how valuable retailer insight is, and this is exactly what buying, category and quick commerce teams have been missing. Quick commerce is one of the fastest growing channels in digital retail, and Co-op Catalyst gives suppliers the retailer's own view of it, which site monitoring alone cannot provide. We look forward to helping suppliers make recommendations that benefit Co-op, their business and shoppers alike."
Kate McCrae, Operations and QCommerce Director, Co-op, says: "We're really excited about this partnership. Co-op is the UK's leading convenience store and a pioneer in Quick Commerce, where we now have around 90% reach across the UK. We are really excited about this new partnership and the insights and opportunities it will bring, as sharing deeper data will be instrumental in helping us, our suppliers, and partners serve Co-op members and shoppers. Co-op Catalyst will help unlock this channel, enabling suppliers to apply core Category Management principles to up-to-date data and recommend actions that accelerate growth for both their brands and Co-op."
Catalyst opens to suppliers later in 2026.
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Quick commerce 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.
