Kingfisher embraces AI as Morrisons makes key appointment: last week's most read retail technology articles
Check out our most clicked retail technology articles from last week, including Simbe, Co-op, Tesco, Boots, TikTok Shop, Adobe, Tapestry, Catalyst Brands, Costco Wholesale, Amazon, Tesco, The Entertainer, Søstrene Grene, M&S, Nobody's Child, and the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
Home improvement retailer Kingfisher taps AI tech driven personalisation as it ups profit target
Kingfisher Group, which owns B&Q and Screwfix in the UK and Castorama and Brico Depot in France and other markets, is using AI enabled productivity tools, including Fabric, to accelerate content creation, enhance SEO and improve conversion.
The FTSE 100 home improvement retailer lifted the lid on its AI and other tech initiatives as it raised its profit target despite seeing a heatwave driven drop off in sales at B&Q. It now expects to make a pre-tax profit of between £595 million and £635 million, having previously guided between £565 million and £625 million. Last year, it posted a £560 million profit.
Other highlights from its full year profit guidance and HY26/27 results include: group e-commerce sales reached 22% penetration. Group app sales now account for 29% of e-commerce sales, with app customers spending approximately 14% more than non-app users.
AI driven personalisation increased +16% generating approximately £100 million of sales, showing, Kingfisher claims, the growing value of its data and digital capabilities. Click & Collect sales were up +9% and home delivery sales +15%, supported by store-based fulfilment network and marketplace growth.
Screwfix Sprint (20 min delivery) was up +50% reflecting the growing demand for rapid fulfilment, particularly in Kingfisher’s City stores. Marketplace GMV rose +42% to £372 million, representing 18% of e-commerce sales. There has been investment in platform enhancements including Buybox, which helps customers find the best offer from multiple vendors by balancing price, merchant performance and delivery speed.
B&Q, meanwhile, continued to stump up cash for search and navigation capabilities, supporting improvements in online traffic and conversion. Natural language search is planned for implementation at B&Q in H2. The next phase of digital commerce will also include agent enabled shopping experiences.
UK grocery giant Morrisons names former Kingfisher executive Mohsen Ghasempour as Chief AI Officer
Morrisons has appointed Dr Mohsen Ghasempour as Chief AI Officer, a newly created role that will see him establish a central data science and AI function for the UK grocery retailer. He joins from Kingfisher, where he had served as Chief AI Officer since March 2024 following more than two years as Group AI Director.
He will take overall responsibility for data and AI strategy, with a remit spanning customer growth, colleague empowerment, operational efficiency, manufacturing excellence and commercial excellence. He will report directly to Morrisons CEO Rami Baitiéh when he takes up the role on 1st October.
“Creation of this new role reflects our commitment to ensuring Morrisons is embracing the opportunities in data and AI at pace, with focus and in the right way,” says Baitiéh.
“Mohsen is a recognised expert in the field with hands on experience of unlocking the potential of technology to deliver innovative new solutions that serve customers, empower colleagues and deliver measurable business impact.”
Ghasempour says: “I’m excited about joining Morrisons and building the team that will help the business make effective and responsible use of AI in the years ahead, to deliver real benefits for customers and colleagues.”
Royal Mail inks deal to boost UK out of home network with acquisition of Quadient parcel lockers
Royal Mail has announced the acquisition of Quadient’s UK-based parcel locker network. Around 3,000 lockers will now become part of Royal Mail’s out of home network. The transaction is expected to close by the end of the calendar year. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Together with our existing lockers, parcel shops and parcel postboxes, this acquisition will further enhance our out of home network of 30,000 parcel points and strengthen our proposition for customers. This is an exciting step forward in making it even easier for customers to send, collect and return parcels in the way that suits them best, through lockers, shops and other convenient locations.”
The deal strengthens Royal Mail’s position and makes it a major player in a crowded UK parcel lockers market that also includes InPost, Amazon, and YEEP!
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.”
The clock is ticking: there is now just one week left to get your entries in for the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
The eighth edition of the RTIH Innovation Awards is now up and running with the deadline for entries being Friday, 2nd October. That’s just one week away, so don’t delay, start working on your submissions today!
The awards, sponsored by 3D Cloud, Business France, and Retail Technology Show 2027, celebrate global tech innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world. Our latest winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC (Prince Consort Rooms) in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Click here for FAQs, categories, and information on our judging panel.
Sign up for an account and submit your entry or entries here.
Boots pilot launching on TikTok Shop in partnership with THG Commerce on 28th September
Boots UK is kicking off a TikTok Shop pilot, in partnership with THG Commerce, involving a curated selection of No7 skincare and beauty products. Further brands and products are set to launch over the coming months.
Paula Bobbett, Chief Digital and Data Officer at Boots, says: “Millions of people are already discovering beauty and skincare products through TikTok and the creators and communities that they trust. This launch gives us an exciting new way to be part of this dynamic experience and help more customers to discover new products and shop those they love in way that feels seamless and relevant to their lives.”
Daniel Callaghan, Business Development Manager at THG Ingenuity, says: “Boots' debut on TikTok Shop is a testament to the growth and development that the platform has seen over the last few years. This forms part of Boots’ wider ambition to create more connected customer experiences and bring beauty content, product discovery and purchase closer together. Through the platform, it aims to reach new audiences, while giving existing customers greater choice and flexibility in how and where they shop. Huge move, and well done to everyone involved.”
Tesco teams with AIUTA to test out virtual try-on technology for F&F clothing in Sandhurst Extra store
Tesco is introducing new virtual try-on technology for the first time, as part of a trial at its Sandhurst Extra store. Powered by AIUTA tech, the experience lets customers virtually try on around 1,500 items of F&F clothing across womenswear and menswear by taking a photo or uploading a photo of themselves onto a digital try-on screen in the clothing department, or selecting a digital model to view clothes in different sizes.
The trial is designed to understand how Tesco can help customers browsing in-store to discover new styles and feel more confident before they buy.
The virtual try-on screen forms part of a wider F&F refresh at Sandhurst Extra, which includes new changing rooms and a dedicated service hub for easier checking out and returns. Customers will also see a larger F&F range in-store and a refreshed look and feel with new signage, updated lighting and a focus on showcasing the F&F range across womenswear, menswear and childrenswear.
Adobe research shows UK consumers increasingly using AI as part of their online shopping journeys
Adobe has released a new report, based on analysis of over ten billion transactions every month, revealing headline UK spending figures from January to August and how online shopping behaviours are shifting thanks to AI.
UK online spending has grown steadily in 2026 - up 3.9% YTD. Spending growth accelerated from early summer onwards, with June the highest spending month of the year so far (£10.6 billion, up 16.9% YoY), primarily caused by Amazon Prime Day occurring in June this year rather than July.
YoY growth in traffic to retail sites from AI sources peaked in August, up 149% YoY and up more than 1,400% compared with October 2024. Conversion rates from AI traffic sources (which, in the UK, overtook those from non-AI traffic for the first time) were 20% higher than non-AI channels in August.
Tally creator Simbe lays claim to largest commercially committed fleet of shelf intelligence technology
Simbe reports that it has surpassed 3,000 autonomous units under contract, which is pitched as the largest commercially committed fleet of shelf intelligence technology (as identified in the company's research).
In the decade since introducing Tally, an inventory robot, Simbe has been shifting from autonomous shelf digitisation to building a broader platform for the physical store.
Today, Simbe combines autonomous robots, computer vision, RFID, handheld and fixed sensing to continuously capture what is happening inside retail locations: from inventory availability and product location to prices, promotions, and merchandising conditions.
“Retailers are increasingly deploying physical intelligence across the enterprise,” says Deborah Weinswig, Founder and CEO at Coresight Research. “Simbe’s 3,000 unit milestone reflects that shift: trusted shelf-level data is becoming foundational to store operations, digital commerce, merchandising and supply chain decisions.”
Highlights include: More than 75 retail banners globally, including BJ’s Wholesale Club, Kroger, and SPAR; The first and only company to earn UL 3300 certification for a robot designed to operate in public; More than 90% of store managers working alongside Tally say the technology makes their jobs better.
All you need is love and connected teams: presenting last week's biggest retail technology plays
Including Tapestry, Catalyst Brands, Costco Wholesale, Amazon, Tesco, Uber Eats, The Entertainer, REWE, Westfield, Søstrene Grene, Kwik Fill, M&S, and Nobody's Child.
