News

Primark is modernising the operations of its information technology to secure its growth plans. To this end, the fast-fashion retailer is expanding its collaboration with Indian service provider Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Over the next five years, TCS will help to establish an agile IT operations landscape.

Norma is putting its e-commerce business on a new foundation. As reported by Lebensmittel Zeitung, the German retailer based in Fürth will migrate its Norma24 online shop from the current online shop system Shopware to Spryker's headless commerce platform by the end of this year.

Australian retail giant Woolworths is piloting self-scanning shopping carts, developed in collaboration with Hanshow. The technology allows shoppers who are member of the retailer’s loyalty scheme to scan their items at the trolley using a touchscreen device. Customers still need to pay at the regular checkout.

Spar Austria relies on smart technology from specialist for facility management automation Loxone. Following successful test operations and installations at a Eurospar store in Tyrol and a Spar outlet in Mundefing, the retailer is rolling out the system to all new stores built and reopened this year, as well as its head office in Salzburg.

After a successful year of testing at its distribution centre in Winterslag, Belgium, Ikea is rolling out Swiss manufacturer Verity's AI drones for stocktaking to more locations. The autonomous drones take the stock of Ikea’s stores and distribution centres. Last year, selected stores used the drones only outside of the opening hours.

Franprix and Monoprix have each installed intelligent shopping trolleys from A2Z Smart Technologies in one of their Paris supermarkets. As the Retail Optimiser learned from the Israeli technology provider, both Casino Group companies plan to gradually equip 20 of their stores with the Cust2Mate systems.

At Home World charging park near German motorway A3 in the immediate vicinity of Wertheim Village outlet centre, a kitchen robot from start-up company Goodbytz serves food to customers. A self-service terminal from Smoothr works as the customer interface. The operating company with star chef Holger Stromberg is planning to roll out the concept further.

DIY retailer Ace Hardware in the US is boosting the efficiency of its stores with solutions from VusionGroup. The technology provider's electronic shelf labels (ESLs) have been implemented in Ace Hardware stores. The DIY store operator aims to use VusionGroup's technology to enhance both the customer experience and operational efficiency across its extensive retail network.

Sainsbury's will upgrade 22,500 checkouts in its grocery and convenience stores and petrol stations with the NCR Voyix commerce platform and the latest generation of point-of-sale solutions. NCR Voyix cloud technology enables the retailer to access real-time data and AI-powered analyses of its stores.

Self-checkout technology continues to grow in the retail sector. According to the latest report from RBR Data Services, now part of Datos Insights, more than 217,000 self-checkout devices were delivered worldwide last year.