Joachim Pinhammer

Spanish grocery retail giant Alcampo, which belongs to Auchan, has opened its first Customer Fulfilment Centre (CFC) with automation solutions from Ocado. Around 1,000 robotic systems will help to prepare up to 70,000 customer orders from the greater Madrid area per week.

Carrefour is piloting payment via palm vein recognition in one of its Paris stores during the Olympic Games. The technology for the innovative biometric system is supplied by Ingenico.

Aldi Süd has agreed a multi-year collaboration with professional services provider Genpact in the USA and Australia. In these countries, the discounter is piloting the introduction of its new, predominantly SAP-based technology landscape under the project name Ahead.

Aldi Nord is piloting a customer loyalty programme for the first time. Users of the Aldi app can collect bonus points in 70 of the discounter's stores in Belgium. The application was developed together with software specialist GK.

Albert Heijn has introduced a new function to its customer app that aims to help reduce food waste. With the Scan & Cook application, which is based on generative AI, customers can take photos of food products and receive personalised recipe suggestions.

WHSmith is integrating data from its business applications on the AI-based Xfuze platform from Xiatech. This way, the British retailer aims to optimise business processes and grow faster internationally.

Rewe Group is further expanding its tests of Pick&Go technology. In the Romanian capital Bucharest, the retailer opened the first store from its discount operation Penny to use Trigo technology.

Leading grocery retailers in Ireland, such as Dunnes Store, Tesco and Aldi Süd, are using the AI-based purchasing platform from Kwayga to find more favourable procurement channels for food and beverages. The start-up connects retailers with suppliers from more than 60 countries.

Rossmann is rolling out a new self-checkout concept. Selected stores will receive Diebold Nixdorf Easy Express All-in-One or Beetle POS systems integrated into furniture from shopfitter Kesseböhmer. The drugstore operator has already installed more than 400 of these systems. The retailer told the Retail Optimiser that in the long term, all stores are to be equipped with self-checkouts.

Edeka independent retailer Pascal Gerdes is piloting the new Tomra R2 multi-feed reverse vending machine. His Trinkgut beverage store in Moers is the first in Germany to deploy the compact, wall-mounted machine. In future, it will also be able to accept returnable glass containers.