last week’s most popular retail technology articles – Retail Technology Innovation Hub

Made.com snaps up Trouva to expand choice and reach

Made, an online retailer which designs and sells homewares and furniture, has announced the acquisition of Trouva.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The latter is a platform to discover independent boutiques and brands, offering customers a curated range of homewares, lifestyle and fashion products.

AiFi powers autonomous store at Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix

AiFi has enabled autonomous shopping for racing fans at the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix.

The event took place from 6th-8th May at the Miami International Autodrome in Miami Gardens, Florida, United States.

It was the first edition of the Miami Grand Prix and the fifth round of the 2022 Formula One World Championship.

These retailers and brands are heavily focused on NFTs right now

These retailers and brands are leading the way in the booming non-fungible tokens (NFTs) space and showing that there really is substance behind the hype. Featuring boohoo, Starbucks, Selfridges, Paco Rabanne, Victor Vasarely, TAFT, and Dolce & Gabbana.

Spotlight on Sevenoaks as Amazon Fresh UK stores move outside London

It’s official! Sevenoaks in Kent will host the UK’s first Amazon Fresh checkout-free store outside of London.

Last week, we reported on rumors that this would be situated in the former Baby Gap outlet in Bligh’s Meadow.

Council planning documents, we noted, showed that permission had been granted for both interior and exterior work on the site.

And job listings had also been posted for retail associates at a Sevenoaks store powered by Just Walk Out technology.

Now an Amazon spokesperson has told RTIH: “We’re delighted to serve customers in the Sevenoaks area and look forward to opening more stores in the future.”

Paula Bobbett takes on Chief Digital Officer role at Boots UK

Paula Bobbett has started a new role at Boots UK as Chief Digital Officer.

She was previously Director, Boots.com.

Bobbett joined Boots from Dixons Carphone, where she started as Senior Manager, E-commerce Insight in 2013, before becoming Head of Online Trade, Analytics and Insight in 2015 and finally Head of Online Performance in 2018.

Prior to that, she was Strategy & Analytics Manager at Avon.

Paul Wilkinson departs Amazon Alexa Shopping for Deliveroo

Paul Wilkinson has taken on the role of Group Product Manager – Grocery Partners at Deliveroo.

He joins from Amazon where he spent almost two and a half years as Senior Product Manager (Tech), Alexa Shopping.

Prior to that, Wilkinson worked for Tesco for nine years, where he held such positions as Head of Technology Research and Open Innovation, Tesco Labs, and Head of Product for Space, Range and Merchandising.

Whole Foods Market Platinum Picnic window display celebrates Queen’s Jubilee

Whole Foods Market’s High Street Kensington, London store has unveiled a new window display to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.

This marks the start of a competition where 70 winners will “take home some of the highest quality, on-trend, best of British products Whole Foods Market has to offer”.

69 people will win a selection of Platinum Picnic goodies in the prize draw, and the 70th customer will bag the entire window display, worth more than 300.

To enter, you need to visit the Whole Foods Market High Street Kensington store and scan the QR code.

As the squeeze on spending tightens, can AI unlock retail success?

Retail Express’ CEO, Barry Grange, looks at retail digital transformation, intelligent merchandising and a data-driven approach to profitability with leaner times ahead.