Here at RTIH, we’re big fans of LinkedIn and building an amazing community of retail technology enthusiasts on the social media platform. These are items currently on their radar, including Co-op, Starship Technologies, Studenac Market, Wolt, Aldi Nord, Trigo, Morrisons and Worldline.
Cooperative and Starship expand robotic grocery delivery service in Northamptonshire
The Co-op and Starship Technologies have teamed up with North Northamptonshire Council to introduce autonomous grocery delivery to residents in Wellingborough, Higham Ferrers and Rushden in Northamptonshire.
The service launched last week and the partnership will see up to 45,000 residents in 33,000 households get on-demand delivery from four Co-op stores in Olympic Way and North Way, Wellingborough. Grangeway, Rushden and High Street, Haim Ferrers.
Studenac Market and Wolt partner on dark stores in Croatia
Studenac Market, Croatia’s largest retailer by number of stores, has partnered with Wallet, a European delivery platform, to launch dark shops offering grocery products.
Studenac provides the products and materials, while Walat takes responsibility for logistics and delivery.
The first dark stores will open in late July in the Adriatic coastal city of Split and in the Croatian capital Zagreb in early August. Users can order products through Wallet, and the latter can deliver in 30 minutes or less.
Aldi Nord tested an autonomous store powered by Trigo in Utrecht
Aldi Nord has opened an Aldi Shop & Go store in Utrecht, the Netherlands.
This 370㎡ (3,982 sq ft) AI-powered space is where shoppers can check in, select their items, and check out without having to queue up at the checkout line or scan any items.
In its largest store format to date, Trigo uses its algorithms to analyze anonymous shoppers’ movements and product choices on shelf sensors and ceiling-mounted cameras.
Payments and receipts are processed digitally.
DPD UK teams up with Quadient on its network of smart parcel locks
Parcel delivery firm DPD has partnered with Quadient to access its new UK wide network of smart parcel locks.
Quadient will initially install 500 contactless lock stations this year, with plans for 5,000 in the coming years.
200 of the first installations will be 24/7 outdoor facilities, and the locations could include shopping malls, residential areas, service car parks and higher education facilities.
Recipients of parcels can choose lock delivery from DPD delivery notifications.
Then, once the package is in the locker, they will receive confirmation that they can access their packages by using a one-time PIN or by scanning the QR code in the notification to open the correct door.
Grocery app Yuu teams up with same-day delivery company Gophr in Glasgow
Scottish grocery app Yuu has announced a partnership with last-mile on-demand delivery company Gopher.
UU, the Scottish subsidiary of United Wholesale, is working with Gopher to supply everyday essentials to more than 70 convenience stores across Glasgow, with plans to roll out the service across Scotland by the end of 2022.
The partnership allows one-hour customer pledge and return API functionality for each participating store within a two-mile radius.
Morrisons Worldline has extended its in-store payments partnership
Morrisons is adopting the Worldline Lane/3000 pin pad as an integral part of its in-store payment system.
It helps the UK grocer manage millions of multi-lane, self-checkout and restaurant transactions every day, allowing shoppers to checkout faster at the farm and reduce overall waiting times.
Worldline has been providing the PIN pad interface between Morrisons and its card customers since it launched PIN verification.
The new Lane/3000 pin pad will begin rolling out in stores in September 2021.
Startup Stories Interview: Susan Jeffers, CEO and Founder of XY Retail
RTIH has secured a low bid on PoS and omnichannel commerce solution startup XY Retail, which recently closed a $4 million seed round led by Monta Vista Capital with participation from Level 1 Ventures.
Lifetime Brands Europe deploys Origin from Retail247.
Lifetime Brands Europe has chosen Origin from Retail247 to provide a new product development platform for all.
Simon Owen, Head of Business Transformation at Lifetime Brands Europe, said: “Choosing Origin was ultimately an easy choice, with the existing practical skills provided by a friendly and compassionate team delivering the business benefits we needed.
3D Cloud by Markcent first positions the Google Cloud marketplace.
3D Cloud by Marxent is the first and only 3D enterprise platform available on the Google Cloud Marketplace.
Google Cloud customers can subscribe to the entire 3D Cloud portfolio of applications in the Marketplace to simplify purchasing and consolidate billing with their existing Google Cloud account.
Lakeland taps Rotageek workforce management technology
Workforce scheduling company, Rotagic, has added Lakeland, a chain of British kitchenware stores in the UK, to its client list.
In a LinkedIn post, the latter said: “We would like to extend a warm welcome to Rotagik to Lakeland to kick off their schedule.
“After winning over our ease of use and top drawer support function, Lakeland chose Geeks to facilitate retail sales for 950 staff across 65 UK stores. We are delighted to be working together.”
Payzone teams up with JSP to launch connected shopping services
Jisp and Payzone have partnered to allow UK retailers to offer integrated home delivery, click and collect, scan and save and certain store loyalty services, in addition to access to product rewards and content.
Payzone retailers can use Jisp’s Scan & Save solution with the Payzone Plus device.
Jisp advertises leading promotions in-app and online to drive shoppers to their local Scan & Save store.
Love Journey Stops Jamba to Deploy Smooth Kiosks with Blended Robot
Blendid and Jamba announced plans to expand Jamba’s autonomous robot kiosk locations to Love’s Travel stops, building on initial deployments in retail locations and college campuses.
The first kiosk at Love’s Travel Stop will open this summer in Williams, CA, just outside of Sacramento, marking an expansion into lodging locations.
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