It's Friday, the weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail tech space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from the past few days, including Co-op, Circana, Gap Inc., KFC UK & Ireland, Roblox, TFG London, CDS Superstores, 3D Cloud, MillerKnoll, and Holland & Barrett.

1. Co-op and Circana extend data and insights tie up through new multi-year deal

Circana and Co-op have announced a new multi-year agreement, extending a partnership that launched in 2020.

Over the past few years, the former's HIVE portal has become a key part of Co-op’s data strategy, enabling the retailer and its suppliers to work from the same data and build a shared understanding of customer behaviour, category performance and market trends.

HIVE brings together EPoS transactions, shopper insights, loyalty metrics, purchasing behaviours and market performance to provide a single view of performance across the business.

The renewed agreement marks the next phase of HIVE’s development, with the aim of strengthening Co-op’s ability to unlock value from its data assets while helping suppliers make faster, more informed decisions.

Over the next five years, Circana and Co-op will expand the platform’s capabilities through the integration of new data assets and measurement solutions, including supply chain, quick commerce and wholesale insights.

Imran Rasul, Chief Commercial Officer, Co-op, says: “We are delighted to deepen and extend our relationship with Circana. The next evolution of HIVE will provide suppliers with broader, more connected insights across our business, enabling faster decision-making, stronger collaboration and greater opportunities for shared growth. Together, we're creating a platform that helps turn data into action and supports long-term success for both Co-op and its partners.”

2. Fashion retailer Gap Inc. starts scaling Bridgette, an AI tool for seasonal hiring, across stores and DCs

Gap Inc. has started to scale Bridgette, an AI enabled virtual career guide for seasonal hiring, across its stores and distribution centres.

Bridgette answers candidate questions at any hour, coordinates interviews and sends reminders. In a pilot, nearly 45,000 candidates engaged with it, and it has scheduled more than 7,000 interviews for store leaders. 

In a LinkedIn post, Sven Gerjets, EVP and CTO at Gap Inc., said: "It works every day of the week, which is a better schedule than mine. What I care about most is what it does not do. Managers still run the interviews and make the hiring decisions. That is the point."

He added: "Our approach to AI is human centered and digitally enabled. For every step in a process, we ask what should be automated, what should be AI assisted, and what should stay with a person. Then we redesign the work around the outcome instead of speeding up the old process."

"Hiring is a good example, because the repetitive coordination was crowding out the conversations that build great teams. I keep coming back to a simple test. Does the technology give people their time back for the human work that matters most?"

3. DoorDash circles $17 billion Instacart acquisition as Caper Carts business is wound down

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.

4. 'Not just a kids' platform anymore': KFC UK & Ireland launches on Roblox for first time

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.

5. 3D Cloud and MillerKnoll furniture partnership brings product configurators to Knoll.com

3D Cloud and MillerKnoll have announced the deployment of 3D product configurators on Knoll.com.

MillerKnoll is using a centralised library to support digital experiences across its portfolio of furniture brands. The strategy aims to reduce duplication, maintain consistency, and speed the roll-out of interactive product configurators, including the latest launch on Knoll.com.

At the centre of the strategy is a shared foundation of scalable 3D product content and the full suite of 3D Cloud applications. Instead of treating every website, brand or customer experience as a separate 3D project, MillerKnoll says it can extend product content investments to each audience and point in the customer journey.

"We're preserving our design legacy in 3D, while looking toward the future of how customers and designers experience our brands," says Lorna Jean Marcuzzo, Senior Technology Manager, 3D Visualisation + Content at MillerKnoll. "An enterprise 3D content strategy enables us to launch new digital capabilities and experiences faster, maintain consistency across our portfolio, and maximise the value of every digital twin." 

"The Knoll Womb Chair demonstrates this strategy in action. Its 3D product content and data, including materials, finishes, and configuration options, are centrally managed in one place that keeps customer experiences aligned and up to date across product offerings and digital touchpoints."

6. Holland & Barrett announces €17.5 million investment across digital and retail fulfilment in Ireland

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.

7. CDS Superstores (The Range, Wilko, Homebase) and THG Fulfil agree multi-year extension of fulfilment tie up

THG Fulfil and CDS Superstores, trading as The Range, wilko and Homebase, have agreed a multi-year contract extension.

The deal builds on a partnership that began in 2024, in which THG Fulfil provides fulfilment and courier management services for the home, leisure and garden retailer.

The renewal supports CDS Superstores’ digital transformation as it looks to invest in technology to strengthen the online offer for The Range, wilko and Homebase. This includes Google Cloud AI technologies to improve search and product discovery on wilko.com, and Mirakl’s platform to support the growth of The Range’s online marketplace.

CDS Superstores is tapping THG Fulfil’s warehouse automation, with 95% of units sold passing through a form of automation during the fulfilment journey. This includes a fleet of Geekplus goods-to-person robots.

8. Morrisons bins Instacart AI powered Caper Carts trial amid DoorDash acquisition talks

In July, we reported that Morrisons had launched Instacart’s Caper Cart smart trolleys at a Preston supermarket, marking North American firm Instacart’s first retail partnership in the UK for its AI powered solution.

Three months later, however, the retailer is pulling the trial as DoorDash gets set to acquire Instacart in a deal that values the grocery technology specialist at around $17 billion. Separately, Instacart said in a regulatory filing on ⁠Monday that it would wind down its Caper 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.

"Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, and we're always looking for ways to make their weekly shop easier, more rewarding, and more enjoyable, to give them more reasons to shop at Morrisons," Gordon Macpherson, Productivity Director at Morrisons, said during the launch of the trial.

“Caper smart trolleys do exactly that, giving customers real-time visibility of their spending, instant access to their More Card savings, and a more seamless experience in the aisle. We're proud to be the first UK retailer to bring this technology to our customers, and we look forward to seeing how shoppers in Preston and across Lancashire respond to this innovative new trolley in this in-store trial.” 

Morrisons did not respond to our request for comment regarding the pilot's abrupt end.

Responding to the news, retail analyst Steve Dresser said on LinkedIn: "Not one to mock innovation, it's vital. But this was always overplayed and seemed to be a chance for people to get their name in lights, rather than a meaningful trial to scale."

9. Revolut Pay one-click account-to-account payments go live on Just Eat app and online

Just Eat has announced a partnership with Revolut, meaning that the on demand delivery big hitter's customers can now select Revolut Pay for a one-click checkout experience within its app and online in the UK and Ireland. 

To mark the launch, users can earn a 5x RevPoints boost on every Just Eat purchase between 28th October and 27th December. Following the promotional window, customers will retain a 2x points boost on every purchase, alongside the ability to instantly redeem RevPoints for cash discounts at the Just Eat app and web checkout.

Selecting this option means that customers will no longer need to manually input card details and can authorise restaurant and grocery orders using biometric authentication (Face ID or fingerprint recognition) through their Revolut account. 

Michiel Verberg, Head of Global Strategic Partnerships at Just Eat, says:  "We're always looking for ways to make ordering from Just Eat faster and more rewarding. Revolut Pay removes a step from checkout, and the RevPoints boost gives customers something back on every order. This is the start of two of Europe's leading technology companies building a better user experience together, which is good news for consumers."

10. Phase Eight owner TFG London contacts customers as personal data is accessed following cyber attack

The owner of Hobbs, Whistles and Phase Eight has contacted its customers following a cyber security incident earlier this month and urged them to be alert to unexpected emails, calls or text messages.

TFG London - the UK arm of retail conglomerate The Foschini Group - identified an incident on Sunday, 11th October affecting some IT systems and specifically impacting the Phase Eight, Hobbs, and Whistles fashion brands.

In an email sent to customers, dated 28th October, TFG London CEO Justin Hampshire said: "On identifying a cybersecurity incident affecting some of our IT systems, we acted immediately to secure our systems, brought in independent cybersecurity experts, and notified the relevant government authorities."

He added: "Unfortunately, our investigation has shown that some personal data has been accessed, and we wanted to contact you about this as soon as we could. We are contacting all of our customers as a precaution. This does not mean that your information was affected, and our investigation into exactly which information has been accessed is continuing."

The information affected could include contact and delivery details, order information, and in some cases limited payment information, such as the last four digits of a payment card. It doesn't include useable payment card details.