Do you like numbers? Do you like retail tech news? Then this is the article for you. Including easyShop, Klarna, M&S, Holland & Barrett, John Lewis, EE, SAI, DoorDash, Instacart, Carrefour Belgium, DPD UK, HyperFinity, Disney Store, KFC UK & Ireland, Debenhams Group, Walmart, Symbotic, and Ocado Group.

25 and $6 million...Symbotic and Walmart have announced an expanded tie up to bring automation capabilities to 25 US regional distribution centres, while supporting additional opportunities across the retail giant's global supply chain network.

The agreement includes an initial commitment of approximately $6 billion in spend, covering work over several years.

“Our partnership with Walmart started with a single product over a decade ago, and now we offer a full end-to-end solution to help power Walmart’s growth across its supply chain for years to come,” says Rick Cohen, Chairman and CEO at Symbotic. “This expanded agreement reflects the strength of that collaboration - a partnership defined by trust and shared ambition.”

1...KFC UK & Ireland has launched on Roblox for the first time, with a Believer Rewards experience going live this week.

In a LinkedIn post, Nic Mitham, Director of Loyalty Growth, said: "I’m really proud of what the teams have built. Roblox isn’t just a kids’ platform anymore. A big and growing share of its players are adults and next-gen consumers, and we wanted KFC to show up for them with something worth having, while building a direct relationship through our own app."

He added: "We also wanted to do it properly. The experience is age gated to 18+ and fully HFSS compliant. Getting that right from the start was non-negotiable for us, and it shaped every decision about how the campaign was built."

Players start in the Believers Hub, then teleport into partner games across Roblox to unlock in-game boosts and rewards. Over the next eight weeks, KFC is releasing ten limited edition UGC items, including a bucket hat and a chicken suit. Customers can download the fast food giant's app, and switch on notifications in order to be in the know when each new item drops.

19...easyShop.com, a new online marketplace from the easy family of brands, has added buy now pay later option, Klarna, to checkout across 19 European markets.

Customers shopping on easyShop can now choose Klarna's Pay in Full, Pay in 3 or Pay in 30 options, allowing them to pay upfront, split a purchase into three interest free payments, or pay a month later.

The partnership follows easyShop's launch earlier this month and comes as the venture prepares for its first peak trading period.

Cas Paton, Founder and CEO at OnCommerce, the platform powering easyShop, says: "Black Friday is no longer just about finding the best deal. Shoppers also want flexibility in how they pay. By bringing Klarna to easyShop, we're giving customers the freedom to shop in a way that suits them, while helping our sellers capitalise on one of the biggest retail moments of the year."

"The easy family of brands has always been about making things simpler and more accessible. Adding Klarna is another way we’re delivering on that, giving shoppers more choice alongside great products and competitive prices."

72...Metricool, a social media management platform, has released a report analysing how 72 e-commerce brands, including BÉIS, Bombas, Ruggable and YETI, use Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube to showcase products, engage consumers and support the path to purchase.

The company analysed 3,234 posts published by 72 US e-commerce brands across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube between 1st-31st August.

The sample covered seven categories: fashion and apparel, home decor and furniture, consumer tech and gadgets, beauty and personal care, pet products, outdoor and fitness gear, and food and beverage/CPG.

The findings point to a disconnect between the content brands publish and how they facilitate purchases, with overtly promotional posts often performing the weakest.

70...Marks & Spencer has unveiled the first wave of jobs available at its new automated fashion distribution centre in Lichfield, set to open next year. 

Over 70 vacancies are now available on the M&S Careers website, including management, operational and specialist roles. The 437,000 sq ft logistics warehouse is expected to employ 600 people in total when fully operational. 

It will add additional capacity to M&S’ existing 24/7 distribution network, enabling it to more quickly process and move orders from suppliers to distribution centres and then onto stores or direct to customers. The retailer is aiming to double online fashion, home and beauty sales, with supply chain transformation a key part of its reshaping for growth strategy. 

63,000...UK parcel delivery company DPD has opened a new 63,000 sq ft distribution centre (DC) at Forrest Park, near Darlington, County Durham. 

Part of a multimillion-pound investment announcement in March last year, the DC will increase DPD’s capacity in the North East of England.

The new hub - located adjacent to Junction 59 of the A1(M) - has the potential to create up to 250 additional roles as DPD expands its operations in the region. The automated sortation facility will be capable of processing up to 50,000 parcels a day. It has also been developed to BREEAM Excellent standards.

Justin Pegg, DPD UK CEO, comments: “I’m delighted to see our brand new Darlington DC open on schedule as we head towards our busiest time of the year. We are planning for a record Black Friday and Christmas peak period this year and our network of over 80 distribution centres is absolutely key to the campaign."

"This is an ongoing programme and we have consistently invested in building brand new DCs for the last 15 years. As a result, the majority of our network is made up of purpose-built facilities with the automation and the capacity we need to run a premium national seven day a week, next day delivery service, helping to ensure we always meet the demand for our services and exceed our customers’ expectations.”

15...Polytag has expanded its Ecotrace Programme into Scotland, installing its UV tag detection technology at Wyllie Recycling’s material recovery facility (MRF) in Perth. 

Polytag’s tech detects invisible UV tags activated on packaging as it passes through enabled recycling facilities, capturing barcode level data about which tagged packaging is detected, and where and when. Depending on the information encoded, the tags can also provide additional details about packaging, including plastic melt flow temperature, the packaging converter and food-grade status.

These insights can help businesses assess packaging performance, inform packaging design and build a clearer evidence base for recycling outcomes as the UK’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system evolves.

The installation marks Polytag’s 15th UV detection unit. Wyllie Recycling operates a 4.5-acre MRF in Perth, processing twin-stream kerbside recycling for multiple Scottish local authorities. Brands like Ocado Retail and Waitrose are using Polytag’s network of detection units to gather data on their packaging.

€17.5 million...UK health and wellness retailer, Holland and Barrett, has announced a €17.5 million investment across digital and retail fulfilment in Ireland over the next three years.

From 1st November, fulfilment of its Irish online orders will move from the UK to Ireland through an expanded three-year partnership with Kildare-based Road Truck Services (RTS), building on an eight-year relationship spanning import, customs, warehousing and distribution.

The move will see €8.2 million invested in a new digital fulfilment model, alongside €9.3 million relating to existing retail fulfilment operations with RTS, bringing the total investment to €17.5 million over the next three years. 

Around €1.5 million of additional stock will be held locally, bringing Holland & Barrett’s total Irish stockholding to approximately €4.7 million. Around 328,000 orders and 1.8 million units are expected to flow through the Irish logistics network each year. 

The expanded partnership is also expected to support around 20 additional RTS roles, alongside agency support during peak periods and a further 6-10 indirect roles, with recruitment focused on Kildare town and surrounding areas. 

For customers, the move will mean greater choices on online orders from 1st November, with the existing 5kg weight limit lifted and additional products from 34 Irish brands available online. Next-day delivery is planned to launch from 1st December. 

The investment comes as Holland & Barrett grows its presence in Ireland. Approximately 2.8 million customers shopped with the business over the past year, and it now operates 70 stores and employs 419 colleagues across the country.

25...Happy birthday to JohnLewis.com! This week marked 25-years since John Lewis and Partners launched its online service back in 2001.

The first product sold was beech salt and pepper mill. In a LinkedIn post, the retailer said: "Fast forward to 2026 and it's fair to say we couldn't imagine a time without it. If you haven't already, download the John Lewis app and start unlocking My John Lewis member benefits today."

Simon Fulford, Head of Change Delivery and Technology, added: "I’m proud to be a small part of this 25 year journey, in an age where technology is changing faster than ever before."

"A big thank you to the hundreds, if not thousands, of people over that period that have contributed over that time. Here’s to the next 25 years and all the exciting changes we have to come!"

29% of AI shoppers say AI chat or search tools had the biggest influence on their most recent purchase - three times the share citing traditional search engines (9%), and more than retailers’ platforms and AI assistants combined (21%), according to new McKinsey & Company research drawing on a survey of approximately 21,000 consumers in 11 markets. 

The shift is moving beyond discovery to influence and transactions. In the US, the share of AI users completing a purchase through AI has surged 70% since December 2025, from 10% to 17%.

Kelsey Robinson, Senior Partner, McKinsey & Company, says: "Consumers are showing unmet appetite and preference for AI shopping. Nearly a third of AI shoppers said AI chat or search tools were the biggest influence on their recent purchase. The winners this holiday season will be those that have stood up an agentic capability and are treating this as an always-on experimentation muscle."

44%...With Ofcom due to set out its enforcement plan for next year’s social media ban in the coming days, research from EE reveals that two in five 11 to 15-year-olds are already planning to dodge the restrictions by downloading apps that fall outside the new rules.

A survey of 1,000 UK parents of secondary school children, 1,000 young people aged 11 to 17, and 100 secondary school teachers found that 44% of secondary school pupils are talking about possible workarounds with their friends, including scoping out alternative platforms that may not be covered by the ban, and 95% of teachers expect at least some to succeed.

Young people who switch to apps outside the ban, such as new messaging services, gaming sites or lesser known social platforms, will not be covered by its protections. This could leave them exposed to the very risks the restrictions were designed to prevent, from bullying and harmful content to addictive algorithmic feeds.

Yet just 44% of parents know the ban arrives in March, raising the risk that conversations about staying safe online happen too late, after children have already started looking for workarounds and navigating alternative spaces.

24,000...DPD UK has announced a programme delivering 24,000 mentoring sessions in its first year to 16 to 25 year olds across the UK. 

Up to 2,000 DPD UK colleagues will participate in the initiative, volunteering at least 30 minutes each per month for 12 months to virtually support young people with careers advice on everything from how to improve a CV, to preparing for an interview, and building confidence to face a difficult job market. Thousands of young people are set to be involved, and they can come back for a second or third session.

This is an attempt to address the crisis of 981,000 young people aged 16 to 24 (13.0%) classified as NEET (not in education, employment or training) in the UK, according to the latest ONS figures, with the youth unemployment rate for 16 to 24-year-olds standing at 15.8%.

The programme was developed and will be facilitated by mentorhero, a new global mentoring platform co-founded by Jackson Parsons who hosts career show 'My Duvet Flip', also aimed at supporting young people with careers advice content, with more than one million subscribers on YouTube.

61% and 28%...Younger shoppers are the most likely to abandon a retailer over its loyalty scheme, despite feeling more loyal to retailers than they did three years ago, according to new research from HyperFinity, Bloomreach, and Eagle Eye.

The research, which surveyed 2,000 Brits who belong to loyalty programmes, found that 61% of under-35s feel more loyal to retailers than they did three years ago, yet 28% have stopped shopping with a retailer because of its loyalty programme. This is compared with just 10% of over-65s.

Thomas Hill, Co-founder at HyperFinity, says: “Younger shoppers may feel more loyal to retailers, but that loyalty cannot be taken for granted. A scheme that offers generic rewards or fails to deliver on its promises can quickly undermine that relationship. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to loyalty - retailers need to understand what individual customers value and make sure the benefits they offer are relevant, worthwhile and deliverable.”

150%...With Halloween landing on Saturday this year, SAI is warning UK retailers that theft incidents could rise as much as 2.5 times the level experienced in 2025.

While Halloween is now one of the biggest sales events of the UK retail calendar, heightened footfall in-store alongside ongoing economic pressures on household finances mean the spooky season has become a growing target for theft. 

Data from SAI's One Platform, which analyses insight from more than 1,000 UK retail locations and inputs from over 30,000 cameras every day, showed that in 2025 Halloween (Friday, 31st Oct) shoplifting rose by +67% on the daily average.

This year, with Halloween falling on a Saturday - consistently one of the highest risk days of the week for retail crime - shoplifting is forecast to rise 150% year-on-year. 

Partial payment is expected to make up the majority of shoplifting attempts (58%). This is followed by grab and go theft (33%) and item switching, where a shopper deliberately selects a lower priced product at self-checkout in place of a higher value item (8%).

$17 billion...DoorDash is in advanced talks to acquire Instacart in a deal that could value the grocery technology specialist at around $17 billion, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

An agreement could be reached as soon as this week. Separately, Instacart said in a regulatory filing on ⁠Monday that it would wind down its Caper Cart smart cart business by the end of the second quarter of 2027, expecting pre-tax charges of $55 million to $80 million related to the move.

The plan is to reinvest any savings into strategic growth initiatives, which includes other in-store solutions like smart price tags and computer vision technology to help grocers track in-store inventory.

1...Disney Store has announced the opening of its first UK Outlet store at McArthurGlen Designer Outlet Cheshire Oaks this autumn. This will offer a mix of new and seasonal full-price products alongside discounted merchandise, multibuy promotions and special offers.

Outlet stores have been a part of Disney Store’s international retail business for several years. 

Located in Unit 170 at Cheshire Oaks, and spanning 1,300 sq ft, the store will offer a range of official merchandise, including products inspired by Disney, Pixar, MARVEL and Star Wars. The assortment will include toys, apparel, accessories, stationery, plush, collectibles and dress-up collections. Selected products will offer savings of up to 40%, with multibuy deals and other promotions also available.

The location will join Disney Store’s wider UK and Ireland retail network, alongside its standalone stores on Oxford Street in London and Grafton Street in Dublin, as well as locations inside Selfridges London, Selfridges Birmingham and Selfridges Manchester Trafford. 

Patrick Sager, VP, Global Disney Store Retail & Marketing, says: “Outlet stores have been a successful part of our retail business around the world for several years. As the UK retail landscape and customer shopping habits continue to evolve, we’re excited to open our first UK Outlet store at Cheshire Oaks."

“The pop up will allow us to reach more guests and offer a wider range of price points, helping more guests bring home a little Disney wonder. By bringing together new and seasonal products, discounted merchandise and special offers, the store will provide families and fans with another way to shop official Disney merchandise in person, complementing our existing retail portfolio and online offering.”

1,200...Debenhams Group, home to Debenhams, PrettyLittleThing, boohoo, MAN and Karen Millen, has announced plans to move its fulfilment operations back to Burnley, through a new global distribution partnership with GXO Logistics. The move is expected to create over 1,200 jobs.

Dan Finley, CEO at Debenhams Group, says: “We’re delighted to be returning to Burnley. Burnley has played an important role in the group’s history, as the primary distribution location for over a decade. We’re excited to be combining our years of experience operating in the town with GXO’s fulfilment expertise, to support the next phase of the group’s growth."

In September, the group announced the £90 million sale of its Sheffield distribution centre to Primark. Debenhams Group expects to continue operating from Sheffield until early 2027, ahead of the transfer to Burnley. GXO will run the Burnley facility under a new agreement to oversee Debenhams Group’s global third-party distribution. 

Russell Atkinson, Managing Director of Fashion and Apparel, GXO UK&I, says: “We’re excited to begin this new partnership with Debenhams, bringing GXO’s retail logistics expertise and global network to support its continued growth.”

12...Carrefour Belgium reports that it has hit the milestone of 12 autonomous BuyBye stores.

A Carrefour Belgium spokesperson said: "Making our customers' lives easier is also being present where a traditional store cannot be. With the opening of two new modules in the heart of the Charleroi hospital and soon three units in Lyon in partnership with Carrefour France, our AI driven autonomous concept is a new strategic milestone."

They added: "Why choose a hospital environment? To meet the very specific needs of caregivers and visitors, with fresh, balanced and affordable meal solutions, 24/7. At the reception desk of the hospital: a module accessible to patients, employees and visitors."

"Close to the entrance to the operating theatre: a solution especially for the 200 to 300 professionals who are constantly working there, so that they can quickly eat something during their shifts. This strengthens our network, which is already present in hospitals, army bases, stations, airports, campuses and corporate offices."

2...Ocado Group and AEON have announced the official go live of their second customer fulfilment centre (CFC) in Japan. The facility in Hachioji City, Tokyo was unveiled by AEON executives at a ceremony at the site.

This will provide additional capacity to enable the growth of AEON’s Green Beans online grocery delivery brand across the Tokyo region, as well as driving logistical efficiency and shorter delivery distances across its network. Hachioji is the second Ocado CFC to use its Auto-Freezer system following the recent launch of Lotte's CFC in Busan, South Korea.

This uses a specialised version of Ocado’s fulfilment bot to process frozen orders 2.7 times faster than AEON’s first CFC in Chiba, and increases freezer inventory capacity by 150% while reducing the required storage footprint by 50%. The Auto-Freezer will also reduce the time spent by staff in freezer conditions to below 5% of their working hours.

The four-storey CFC has a gross floor area of approximately 40,000 m², and is equipped with a full suite of Ocado’s Re:Imagined technologies, including On-Grid Robotic Pick. The site will also offer a Pickup service, allowing customers to collect orders directly from the site in as little as three hours.