Amazon is mad for it and Bodycare bounces back: 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 Waitrose, CeX, Auror, Walmart, Netflix, the LEGO Group, Schnuck Markets, LPP. Ocado Group, Majid Al Futtaim, Frasers Group, Penny, Therabody, Evri, Shell, Tso Chinese Takeout & Delivery, and Portwest.

Frasers Group

‍Sportswear chain Sports Direct and Everlast Gyms+ have opened a flagship store on Dublin’s Henry Street on the site of a former Debenhams location. Both brands - owned by Frasers Group - are operating across four floors in the 85,000 sq ft building.

‍"Some moments don’t just mark progress - they redefine what’s possible. Today (25th July) is one of those moments," says Sanjay Dhiman, Chief Development Officer at Frasers Group.

‍The building was originally a Roches department store in 1960 which underwent redevelopment in 2003 extending to 210,000s sq ft. Debenhams acquired the building in 2006 and traded until 2020, which ended 60 years of continuous retail trading on the site. Frasers Group acquired the site in 2022 and commenced design and planning for the latest iteration of both its Sports Direct and Everlast brands.

"Our elevation journey continues with this high impact, vibrant, modern store design. Anchored by a central atrium which houses a footwear delivery system, backed by a 14 metre tall digital screen housing ten million pixels," says Dhiman. "The 60,000 sq ft store is an expression of the very latest designs from our brand partners/own brands and evolution of our Running, Women’s Fitness, Outdoor, Kids and Bootroom concepts."

"A 25,000 sq ft Everlast connected by a floating, feature staircase adds a state-of-the-art gym with a Hyrox Performance Centre, Cafe, Sauna and Ice Baths. The building has achieved LEED Silver certification, recognising its strong environmental performance and commitment to sustainability."

Amazon

‍Amazon Now, Amazon’s rapid delivery service, has launched in Manchester, promising thousands of groceries and household essentials in about 30 minutes or less. The move marks the first city outside of London to get the offering following go live in the capital earlier this year.

“Amazon Now brings a new level of speed and convenience to customers, delivering thousands of groceries and household essentials in less than 30 minutes," says John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager at Amazon. “It’s the latest example of our commitment to faster delivery, building on the millions of items we already deliver the same or next day to customers across the UK.”

‍Amazon Now uses a network of micro fulfilment centres that are positioned near residential and inner-city areas, with sites in Southwark, Bethnal Green, Battersea, Lewisham, Hampstead, Notting Hill, Haringey, Walthamstow and Wembley, alongside East Manchester, with sites in Salford and Stockport to follow in the coming weeks.

‍Customers in eligible Manchester postcodes can shop from the likes of everyday essentials like milk, eggs, fresh fruit and veg, toothpaste, pet treats, nappies, and medicines, alongside local favourites from Kellogg’s, PG Tips, and Warburtons.‍ ‍

Auchan Retail

Working with shopreme, Auchan Retail has launched AutoScan, a new service available in its Club Alcampo app that allows people to scan products with their mobile phone whilst moving around a store and then speeds up the checkout experience.

‍The service has begun to be implemented in around 40 Alcampo stores in the Community of Madrid, Catalonia and Castilla-La Mancha, and will be extended to the entire Spain network before the end of 2026.

‍To start, shoppers access AutoScan from the app when they arrive at the store and activate it using the available signage or geolocation. Then, it's time to scan each product before putting it in the basket or cart. At the end, they click on the payment option to generate a QR code and transfer the purchase to the checkouts enabled for this service. Team members are on hand to help if any issues arise. ‍

CeX‍‍ ‍

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 second–hand 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.” 

‍Auror GM UK & Europe Mark Gleeson says: “While the nature of risk is different from retailer to retailer, the consistent trend across the whole sector is that 70% of crime in retail settings is driven by the top 10% of repeat offenders, and those same offenders are up to four times more likely to be violent. The sector cannot get on top of this problem alone. When committed retailers, like CeX, appreciate the value of working together then every store in that network becomes safer and they can understand who the top high-harm offenders are because offenders are not brand loyal and do not respect jurisdictional boundaries.”

‍ Sephora UK

‍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."

Walmart, Netflix, and the LEGO Group

‍Walmart, Netflix, and the LEGO Group have come together for an interactive, live shopping experience that celebrates the launch of the new LEGO ONE PIECE collection, including exclusive sets only available at Walmart. 

‍This will take place today on Walmart Live, a feature on the US retail giant’s website and app, enabling consumers to watch livestreamed shopping events hosted by influencers and celebrities.

‍“Hosted by LEGO ambassadors Matticus Bricks and Danibob Studios, the Walmart Live event brings together entertainment, community, and commerce in a way that feels authentic to fans. Expect creative builds, behind the scenes insights, fan conversation, and, of course, the opportunity to shop the collection live,” says Walmart’s Justin Breton.

“It's another example of how we're creating experiences customers want to spend time with, not just shop. Join us on 24th July, at 3 pm ET exclusively on Walmart Live.”

‍Waitrose

‍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.

‍Schnuck Markets

‍VitalityIP and Schnuck Markets are teaming up to launch an AI powered, agentic shopping assistant that will deliver nutrition guidance, meal ideas and product recommendations.

“Our customers are telling us they want trusted guidance with a number of aspects on their visits to Schnucks, whether they’re meal planning, tracking health goals, balancing special dietary needs, stretching their budget, or looking for inspiration in the kitchen,” says 

‍Tom Henry, Schnucks Chief Data and Information Officer. “Together with VitalityIP, we're creating a shopping experience that's not only enjoyable but also more personal, more helpful and more rewarding.”

Arriving in the grocer’s Schnucks Rewards app and website at schnucks.comin late summer, the agent will tap into more than six billion lines of shopping, health and nutrition data. The platform will help customers make everyday food choices that support health and lifestyle initiatives such as weight management, healthy aging, recovery and family wellness.

‍“Today, nearly 90% of Americans suffer from a food related condition that VitalityIP and retail grocers can impact,” says Sarah Hoit, Co-Founder and CEO at VitalityIP. “Food is medicine, but until now, personalised nutrition options haven’t been available where people make food decisions every day. Schnucks recognised an opportunity to transform grocery shopping into a powerful experience that can actually help customers optimise their lives. Together we've made the latest food and nutrition science practical, personal and accessible for every shopper."

‍Shell

‍Shell has selected RELEX Solutions for AI driven forecasting, replenishment, and store operations. The implementation will include fresh optimisation, promotions and events planning, weather-based forecasting, fresh markdowns, and mobile replenishment for Shell’s UK Mobility & Convenience network.

‍Shell operates more than 550 convenience stores across its UK network under the Shell Select, Little Waitrose, and Co-op banners. It will now use RELEX for centralised, automated planning models through forecasting and replenishment capabilities.

‍RELEX provides capabilities that allow store teams to generate order proposals at the store level, accounting for fresh product lifecycle, promotional demand, and weather-driven sales patterns. They can then access and review those proposals directly through the firm’s mobile replenishment solution, with the ability to adjust before orders are confirmed. 

‍“RELEX gives us the tools to plan smarter across our UK convenience network,” says Janine Albrecht Webb, UK General Manager, Shell Mobility & Convenience. “We are looking forward to the improvements this will bring to our store operations and customer experience.”

‍Bodycare ‍

We recently reported that Bodycare had connected with PMC to design, orchestrate and deliver the digital infrastructure that will power its new store network as the health and beauty retailer prepares for its return to the UK high street.

‍It is also rolling out Retail247’s Origin and Archean solutions as part of its comeback story.

‍Last year, Bodycare closed all its stores after collapsing into administration. Its brand and intellectual property were acquired out of administration in late 2025 by an investor group led by former The Body Shop and Molton Brown CEO Charles Denton, and it is now aiming to open 25 UK stores in 2026, growing to 200 locations over the next five years.

In a LinkedIn post, Retail247 said: “After a successful first half of the year at Retail247, we're delighted to announce another new client partnership - Bodycare. Even better, they're already live with Origin and Archean following our fastest implementation project to date.”

It added: “Under the leadership of Charles Denton, Bodycare's experienced leadership team, including David Stern, Alison Costello, Ryan Newey and Tash Courtnay-Smith, is driving the next phase of the retailer's transformation, accelerating its UK expansion and building the future of value health and beauty retail. The business is entering an exciting new chapter focused on revitalising the brand, modernising operations, and building a scalable platform for future growth.”

“To support this journey, Bodycare has selected Retail247's Origin and Archean platforms to establish robust retail foundations, give teams the visibility and control they need to make faster decisions, improve stock availability, and support continued expansion. This will enable greater operational visibility, improved decision-making, and the agility needed to support an ambitious growth strategy. We're particularly proud as this is our fastest implementation to date and is a testament to the strength of our solutions, our team, and the collaborative approach already being demonstrated by everyone involved. We look forward to working closely with the Bodycare team and supporting them as they write the next chapter of their story.”

‍LPP

LPP, a European fashion retailer and the company behind Reserved, Cropp, House, Mohito and Sinsay, is expanding its cooperation with Polish startup pirxe. LPP operates across 47 markets, has more than 3,800 stores, employs nearly 63,000 people and is listed on Warsaw Stock Exchange.

The tie up focuses on using spatial AI and 3D digital twins to create and test marketing content at scale. According to those involved, the first campaigns delivered 21% higher conversions and a 21.6% increase in CTR, which led LPP to expand the project and test the technology across additional platforms.

“We invest in technologies that allow us to operate faster, more effectively and on a larger scale. In marketing, the ability to quickly test multiple communication variants and respond instantly to customer needs is providing an ever greater competitive advantage. That is why we decided to collaborate with pirxe,” says Marcin Piechocki, a member of the LPP management board and Managing Director at Sinsay.

“This solution not only boosts the effectiveness of our activities but also demonstrates that technologies meeting the highest global standards are being developed in Poland. We believe that investing in domestic know-how strengthens both LPP’s competitiveness and that of the entire Polish innovation ecosystem. Ultimately, any technology must translate into a better customer experience and better business results. This is precisely the outcome we are seeing in our collaboration with pirxe.”

Les Ambassadeurs Casino

Trust Payments has been selected by London's Les Ambassadeurs Casino to modernise its payment infrastructure, deploying its Point of Sale technology at the Mayfair private members' club. Five PoS terminals have been installed throughout Les Ambassadeurs' private gaming spaces and dining areas.

Robert Cairns, Chief Financial Officer at Les Ambassadeurs, says: “Trust Payments terminals have integrated into our operation without fanfare, which is rather the point. The state of the art terminals and frictionless service have set a new standard for us.”

Laurence Booth, Group CEO at Trust Payments, comments: "Consumer expectations around payments continue to evolve, even in the most established hospitality and gaming venues. We're proud to have delivered a seamless, reliable payment experience for Les Ambassadeurs' members within the timeframe the business required, and to support Les Ambassadeurs as it continues to invest in the experience it offers its members.”

Raben Group

Logistics specialist Raben Group has selected Nulogy’s Shop Floor solution to digitalise its contract packing operations, with implementation in progress across seven sites in Poland, ahead of a planned second phase roll-out for further European locations.

The first deployment, undertaken at Raben Logistics Poland facility in Stryków, enables full real-time operational control through continuous monitoring of co-packing production activity, resources, line performance and order status on one platform.

‍By transitioning from fragmented planning and execution tools to a unified digital platform, Raben says it is simplifying and standardising its co-packing operations across sites. This shift enables better integration of planning, execution and reporting processes within one environment, improving data consistency and visibility while supporting more efficient, real-time operational decision-making.

‍At the same time, Nulogy Shop Floor reduces operational complexity and creates a scalable foundation for further development of value added services (VAS). The software is designed to enable improved planning and execution through automated workflows and synchronised operational data, with the objective of accelerating production cycles while reducing downtime, material waste and inefficiencies. Standardised processes and shared KPIs across sites are set to ensure consistent performance, allowing Raben to scale its services more effectively across markets.

‍Ocado Group

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 Reimagined 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.”

‍Majid Al Futtaim‍ ‍

Majid Al Futtaim, a shopping mall, communities, retail, and leisure specialist across the Middle East, Africa, and Asia, has announced Jaywan card acceptance across more than 200 destinations in the UAE, becoming one of the country's first companies to fully enable the national card acceptance throughout its physical network. 

Customers can now use Jaywan cards across the group’s retail, leisure, hotels, and entertainment destinations. The initiative supports the country's ambition to build a nationally owned and operated payments network while delivering a secure, efficient, and locally relevant experience for consumers.

Darren Taylor, Senior Vice President, SHARE Rewards & Customer Solutions, Majid Al Futtaim, says: "Our priority is to make every interaction with Majid Al Futtaim simple, intuitive, and rewarding. Enabling Jaywan acceptance across our destinations gives customers more ways to pay while maintaining the seamless experience they expect from us. It also reflects the strength of our payment infrastructure, helping reduce transaction costs, accelerate settlement for domestic payments, and enable us to continue delivering new capabilities that meet the evolving needs of our customers." 

‍Penny

Penny, a supermarket brand in Romania owned by Germany’s REWE Group, has partnered with Traxlo to support in-store replenishment through its technology platform. The aim here is to bring greater flexibility to processes, helping stores respond quickly to issues etc.

A spokesperson for Penny said: “Because we want to provide our customers with the best possible experience, such partnerships help us respond faster to our day to day operational needs.”

‍Therabody

‍Therabody, a specialist in wellness technology, is using Oracle NetSuite. It says that, with NetSuite’s AI powered cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, it has scaled its business by unifying its global operations, automating order management, and increasing productivity across its team. 

‍Founded by Dr. Jason Wersland in 2016, Therabody now sells a portfolio of wellness and recovery products online and in retailers in more than 60 countries across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. As it expanded its product portfolio, distribution channels, and geographical reach, its existing systems and manual processes were making it difficult to keep up with increasing demand as they limited visibility and slowed operations. 

“With rapid growth, we’ve seen firsthand how a complex technology stack becomes difficult to scale,” says Yash Murali, Chief Technology Officer, Therabody. “NetSuite has helped us bring our operations together with AI capabilities that simplify and accelerate workflows. We now have a strong foundation to support our next stage of growth, which means our team can spend more time on strategic initiatives that move the business forward.” 

Anderson Merchandisers

Anderson Merchandisers, an American in-store retail services provider, has named Seekr as its enterprise AI partner, starting with the last 100 feet of retail, the shelves, endcaps, and aisles where its 4,000+ associates execute every day. The partnership puts Seekr's explainable AI and Vision Language Models (VLMs) directly into the hands of Anderson associates.

Anderson expects the roll-out to significantly improve merchandise quality resolution by enabling associates to identify and correct issues in real-time, the first time. Every store visit becomes an AI verified, auditable record of what was right, what was wrong, what was fixed, and why, it claims.

"Our work has always been about getting the right product to the right place at the right time, every time. What has changed is the level of precision and speed that 'every time' now demands," says Jeff King, President at Anderson Merchandisers. "Our associates are the best in the industry, and they deserve technology that matches their expertise. 

Seekr brings exactly what modern retail execution requires: advanced vision language models, industry specific intelligence, and edge deployment capabilities that operate where the work happens. The AI sees what our associates see and provides clear, actionable guidance on where to focus. That's the difference between simply auditing the shelf and actively improving it."

Portwest 

Workwear and PPE manufacturer Portwest is using Akeneo’s agentic first Product Cloud solution to centralise product data, streamline catalogue production and improve operational efficiency across its global business.

As Portwest's range expanded to tens of thousands of SKUs across more than 130 countries, the systems supporting its product information (spanning ERP, databases and separate asset libraries) were increasingly stretched by the pace of that growth. Product data was maintained across several systems, which made keeping translations and information consistent across markets more time-consuming than the business wanted. Catalogue production remained a largely manual process that could take up to 11 months, while technical datasheets were produced through a long-standing publishing process with limited flexibility to scale.

Portwest implemented Akeneo PIM as a centralised source of truth for product data, supported by integrations with the publishing solution InBetween. The new platform consolidates technical and marketing information into a single, governed environment, enabling structured data management, automated workflows and scalable content distribution.

Using Akeneo’s reference entities and advanced data modeling capabilities, Portwest can now efficiently manage certifications, compliance attributes and shared technical information across more than 46,000 SKUs. This has reduced duplication, improved data accuracy and enabled batch updates across product families.

Amazon

Bukayo Saka hit a hat-trick on Saturday as England beat France 6-4 and finished third at the FIFA World Cup 2026. In addition to enjoying a goal fest, fans were able to experience Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology whilst grabbing snacks and drinks.

In a LinkedIn post, Mandy Grogg, Sr. Tech Deployment Programme Manager at Amazon, said: “The Bronze Final game was absolutely electric Saturday night at Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium. And Just Walk Out technology was right there in the middle of all the action.”

“Our technology supported the World Cup across multiple world class stadiums this summer. Fans experienced the future of gameday commerce while grabbing their favourite beers and Lay’s Limón chips faster than ever with seamless, next level store solutions that kept the energy high and the fans watching the match.”

Tso Chinese Takeout & Delivery

Tso Chinese Takeout & Delivery, Autolane, and Nash have joined forces to bring autonomous food delivery to Austin, Texas, pairing select customers with a supervised Tesla Model Y that delivers their order from restaurant to door through a single checkout flow.

"This launch is proof that autonomous delivery isn't a future concept. It's running today, on real Austin streets, supervised and live, with real orders for real customers. Tso Chinese had the vision to move first and the operational scale to make it meaningful. Nash made the integration simple. We're proud to be the infrastructure connecting all of it,” says Ben Seidl, CEO and Co-Founder, Autolane.

"Tso Chinese Takeout & Delivery was built from day one as a technology enabled, delivery first operation, so partnering with Autolane on autonomous delivery is a natural next step. We've spent years optimising everything from our kitchen workflows to our own tech stack to get our takeout and delivery orders to customers at the lowest possible cost, faster and more reliably. Autonomous delivery is a natural extension of that same approach. It means our customers get a fast, no hassle experience with no tipping required - and Autolane lets us keep raising that bar without adding cost or complexity for them,” says Angell Tsang, Cofounder and CTO, Tso Chinese Takeout & Delivery.

Evri

Parcel delivery group Evri is using Microsoft AI in a bid to improve efficiency and offer its customers a more personalised service.

Evri Chief Technology Officer Marcus Hunter plans to create five “super agents” to automate routine operations and help employees, couriers and customers find accurate information quickly. AI interrogating cloud-based data will give the firm greater visibility over the parcel journey and help optimise routes and communications with customers. 

This will also enable greater personalisation - customers having more choice over when, where and how their parcels are delivered. 

Agent365, part of Microsoft’s new E7 suite of products, meanwhile, gives observability and control of all the organisation’s AI agents.

“Everybody talks about personalisation,” says Hunter. “But we’ve never had the tools to do personalisation properly before. Now we do. So over the next few years, we will eventually be able to give individually tailored, personalised deliveries to our 25 million customers.”

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