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 Vinted, eBay, Depop, J.Crew, Stripe, Simbe, ASICS, Corvus Robotics, Greggs, Auror, Cadbury, and THG Ingenuity.

1. Vinted, eBay and Depop set to be hit by under-16s ban as grooming concerns grow

The UK government is set to ban under-16s from Vinted and eBay amid fears that the online platforms' messaging functions allow strangers to groom children.

Culture Secretary, Lisa Nandy, is gearing up to discuss expanding the social media ban announced earlier in the year to cover online marketplaces. Depop and Facebook Marketplace are also expected to be included.

The Children’s Society claims that some young users are being “asked for indecent photos in exchange for money” or gifts on these sites.

A government source told The Times: “There is an increasing body of evidence that says under-16s are accessing these services a lot and are potentially accessing risk. We need to take a comprehensive approach to protecting children from harm online."

Vinted, eBay, Depop, and Facebook Marketplace did not respond to our request for comment.

2. CTO search continues as lululemon appoints Emily Sunderland as Chief Strategy Officer

lululemon has announced the appointment of Emily Sunderland as Chief Strategy Officer, effective 23rd November. She will report to Chief Financial Officer Meghan Frank and joins from Boston Consulting Group.

With expertise across activewear, apparel, and specialty retail, she will play an important role in developing lululemon's long-term strategy, identifying future growth opportunities, and strengthening strategic planning.

Searches remain underway for a Chief Technology Officer and Chief Communications Officer. lululemon is building out a leadership team under a new structure announced in October. Sunderland coming onboard follows the appointments of Maggie Gauger as President & Chief Product Officer and Joseph Godsey as Chief Operating Officer.

3. J.Crew brings Stripe in to technology stack as it boosts BNPL options and makes agentic commerce move

J.Crew has added Stripe to its technology stack as it looks to boost its position in the alternative payments space.

In a LinkedIn post, Ruchika Julapalli, SVP Digital Experience, Product, Technology & AI at J.Crew, said: "We wanted to give customers more choice in how they pay, and bring in new customers who like to shop with changing wallets. So excited that we brought Stripe into the J.Crew Group tech stack. One integration opens up a range of alternative payment methods, where before each one would have been its own build."

She added: "We started by expanding our buy now, pay later options, launching Klarna and Affirm within weeks of each other across J.Crew, Madewell and J.Crew Factory. Double the fun. Stripe also positions us well for agentic commerce."

4. McDonald’s and Uber ramp up global partnership across delivery and loyalty in 14 markets

Uber Technologies and McDonald's have announced a multi-year expansion of their partnership, bringing new delivery and rewards features to customers in 14 markets across the world.

This includes the US, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK.

The pair first partnered in 2017 in the US, and McDonald’s is now available on Uber Eats in 30 countries. Uber will now be the preferred delivery partner for orders placed in the McDonald's app, and the two companies will connect Uber with MyMcDonald's Rewards.

As McDonald's expands delivery capabilities within its app, Uber Eats will serve as the preferred integrated delivery fulfillment partner for orders placed through the McDonald's app in participating markets including the US, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, and the UK. Customers will be able to order delivery and track their orders from checkout to doorstep without leaving the app. They will also have the option to order directly through the Uber Eats app.

McDonald’s app orders will primarily be fulfilled through Uber Direct, Uber’s white labelled delivery solution, in partnership with Deliverect. Uber will also serve as the fast food giant's exclusive delivery and rideshare rewards partner in participating markets.

5. US retailer DeCicco & Sons expands Simbe Store Intelligence technology roll-out following pilot

US grocery retailer DeCicco & Sons has expanded Simbe’s Store Intelligence platform chainwide following a 35% reduction in out-of-stocks within the first 60 days at its pilot locations.

Simbe’s autonomous shelf scanning robot, Tally, captures detailed shelf conditions multiple times daily. That intelligence flows into the retailer’s existing systems, helping teams identify and resolve issues faster while supporting applications spanning store operations, e-commerce, and business intelligence.

“Our customers count on us to have the products they love and a team ready to help,” says John DeCicco Jr., CEO, DeCicco & Sons. “Simbe helps us deliver on both. Digitising our shelves is foundational to our broader technology strategy, because it gives every system we run an accurate picture of what’s happening in our stores. With real-time visibility into stores, our teams can address corrective fixes sooner and spend more time providing the personal service that brings people back to DeCiccos.”

6. Morrisons kicks off Emerald checkout software roll-out across stores in partnership with NCR Voyix

Morrisons has gone live in its first store with Emerald, the UK grocery retailer's new checkout software. It is working with NCR Voyix on the project.

In a LinkedIn post, Laura Critchley, Support Office Specialist- Front End Operations, said: "This is a project that I, alongside so many fantastic colleagues across the business, have been working on for the last two years, so seeing it finally come to life in store is a brilliant feeling."

She added: "Emerald will replace our existing Storeline software across checkouts and cash offices, bringing a more streamlined, modern and user-friendly experience for colleagues, while helping to make everyday processes easier and improve the customer experience."

"It’s been a huge collaborative effort to get us to this point, and it’s fantastic to see all the hard work starting to pay off. A brilliant step forward for our Front End teams, and we can’t wait to see Emerald rolled out across our stores from next year."

7. Cadbury connects with THG Ingenuity for new direct-to-consumer gifting platform

Cadbury has appointed THG Ingenuity to power its new direct-to-consumer Cadbury Shop.

This will see THG Commerce deliver a cloud native digital storefront and interactive customisation software, THG Studios produce end-to-end e-commerce creative assets and visual digital merchandising, while THG Fulfil will provide warehousing, pick-and-pack, temperature controlled confectionery handling, courier management and customer service solutions.

Central to the launch is an interactive product customisation engine developed to power the flagship Cadbury Heroes Pick & Mix, which allows shoppers to hand-pick a combination of miniature favourites.

The platform also introduces on-demand personalisation across giftboxes, including the dedicated Cadbury Build Your Own Letterbox Gift service, where shoppers can pick any six Cadbury tablets to be packaged and delivered straight to someone's doorstep. 

8. ASICS deploys Corvus Robotics drones to manage inventory for three million plus shoes in DC outside Memphis

Corvus Robotics reports that ASICS is running Corvus One autonomous inventory drones inside its Byhalia, Memphis, USA distribution centre, where nightly flights have increased counting frequency 6x in two of the building's highest risk storage areas, which are now counted monthly.

ASICS reports recovering misplaced inventory roughly 60% faster since the system went in and has redirected about 200 hours of monthly counting labour into inventory research and exception resolution.

The facility holds close to three million units, 2.3 million pairs of footwear and 700,000 pieces of apparel and accessories, across roughly 44,000 SKUs, all managed in a Manhattan Associates warehouse management system. It fills e-commerce orders and ships to wholesale accounts, along with ASICS full price and outlet retail stores.

Corvus One covers two storage profiles in the building: the singles area, where returned and single pair product gets stored and picked, and case reserve. Both were counted twice a year under ASICS cycle count policy.

9. Morrisons Media Group announces retail media proposition expansion across 1,700 convenience stores

Morrisons Media Group (MMG) is expanding its retail media proposition to include Morrisons' approximately 1,700 convenience stores, with the aim of giving brands and suppliers a more joined up approach to planning campaigns across the grocery retailer's supermarket and convenience estates.

Steve Newbould, Head of Commercial Data & Media, Morrisons Media Group, says: "Expanding our proposition into convenience is an important step in how we support our supplier partners. Our customers shop across different formats for different reasons, and bringing these opportunities together allows us to offer brands a more comprehensive way to engage with them. This is about building on the strength of our existing retail media proposition while recognising the growing importance of convenience."

The expanded proposition combines Morrisons' first-party customer insights with SMG's retail media capabilities. Suppliers will benefit from MMG's existing support, including insights informed by Morrisons' first-party data ecosystem, MoreViu, to help shape campaign planning around relevant customer missions and commercial objectives.

10. Greggs taps Auror technology across stores as prolific shoplifter avoids jail

Greggs reports that it is rolling out Auror crime reporting and intelligence technology across its stores amid a rise in shoplifting.

The British bakery and fast food chain made the announcement as a shoplifter who stole more than £2,000 worth of soft drinks from a single Greggs store returned to the community after being handed a suspended sentence.

Since May, Tiffany O'Neill, 28, has been arrested, charged and remanded to court 11 times. She was ultimately charged with 69 theft offences.

Yet when she appeared for sentencing at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, having pleaded guilty to a total of 80 offences, she avoided being sent to prison and was handed a 26 week sentence, suspended for 12 months.

New constraints on magistrates and judges that came into force earlier this year require a sentence of less than a year to be suspended unless very specific exceptions apply.