Annette Böhm

Kroger has ordered further automation solutions for online fulfilment from the British technology company Ocado. As the second-largest US retailer announced this week, proprietary Ocado technologies such as On-Grid Robotic Pick and Automated Frameload are to be implemented in all eight existing Customer Fulfillment Centers (CFC).

The British Co-operative Group plans to implement Walmart's online fulfilment app Store Assist. The solution was developed by Walmart Commerce Technologies, the US retail giant's profit centre subsidiary.

Hy-Vee uses VusionGroup's platform to digitise more than 230 of its stores. The retail company, which operates in nine Midwestern states, has implemented digital shelf labels and numerous other VusionGroup solutions to optimise the shopping experience for its customers.

Last week, Rewe Group launched a new distribution centre in Magdeburg Rothensee with automation technology from Kuka subsidiary Swisslog. Up to now, the retail group has mainly relied on Witron for the automation of distribution centres, whose automation technology largely operates without robotics.

Baby-Walz has equipped its relocated and newly opened store in Frankfurt (Main) with digital touchpoints in cooperation with Bütema. The specialist for baby and toddler equipment, which is part of the Walz Group, is starting a test run with this step, which will be extended to other stores if successful.

Falke has expanded the use of the personalisation solution from GK Air to all countries in which the clothing specialist is active. In future, the omnichannel-capable GK Air Personalization solution will not only provide individualised product recommendations in the 26 online shops and the associated newsletters, but also in the stores.

Tesco is planning a hyper-personalised loyalty programme promotion for selected members of its Clubcard with technology company Eagle Eye. The collaboration with Eagle Eye on this is initially limited to one year – with the option to extend for a further year.

Esselunga has opened a 600 square metre test centre in Milan with a Grab & Go store and a cafeteria to enable agile testing of technologies and design concepts. The Italian retail company is testing a scanless store in its Esselunga Lab, which is equipped with technology from Israeli provider Trigo.

Sopharma Trading has opted for GK's POS platform for its brick-and-mortar stores and online pharmacies. The company, which is one of the largest healthcare providers in Bulgaria, is using the new solution to close data gaps between its stores and its SAP merchandise management system.

The atmosphere was excellent last night at Dr Thompson’s Seifenfabrik in Düsseldorf: Top IT managers from Edeka Group, Tegut, Rewe Group, Schwarz Group, Douglas, Benetton and many more had every reason to celebrate with their technology providers. Yesterday, EHI Retail Institute honoured the winners of the Retail Technology Awards Reta for the 17th time as part of Eurocis 2024. The…