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 Walmart and Symbotic, M&S, Vusion, Screwfix, Gophr, VoCoVo, Barron McCann, and the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

1. Walmart and Symbotic ramp up automation and AI powered supply chain transformation push

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.”

2. Gophr powered Screwfix Sprint on demand delivery service now available in 600 stores

Earlier this year, Kingfisher owned Screwfix unveiled a new campaign, fronted by Mo Farah, that showcases the speed and convenience customers say is the main reason they choose the retailer.

Screwfix Convenience is designed to drive usage of Screwfix Sprint delivery, Click & Collect and check-In services among tradespeople and DIY customers.

And the Sprint service, which promises delivery within 60 minutes, is now live at 600 stores and counting. 

In a LinkedIn post, Max Britten, Managing Director UK & Ireland at Screwfix, said: "We know how important convenience is for our busy trade customers. They want to stay on the job, avoid unnecessary downtime and get what they need, when they need it. Sprint helps them do exactly that, with tens of thousands of customers using it so far this year."

He added: "So making Sprint accessible to more customers is a real priority for Screwfix. With the additional stores, it now reaches more than 62% of the UK population. A huge thank you to all our colleagues and our delivery partner Gophr who have helped us reach this important milestone, and of course to our customers for continuing to use Sprint."

3. Morrisons, Waitrose, and Dunelm take top honours at 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony in London

Focal Systems, PMC, Poq, VoCoVo, Deliverect, Enactor, SOLUM, Pricer, TCS, Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, Vusion, Quorso, Datitude, and Sitoo were among the winners on Wednesday night at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

We received a record number of entries this year, showcasing truly impressive innovation across both traditional and digital retail spaces.

To quote a member of our star studded judging panel: "Reviewing such inventive, high impact solutions has been a truly rewarding experience. The depth of engineering, scalable architecture, and strategic vision displayed throughout the submissions underscores the rapid transformation happening across modern retail technology."

Our 2026 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC in Central London and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, awards ceremony presided over by actor, comedian and writer Aurie Styla, and after party until 1am.

Congratulations to our 2026 winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Aurie Styla, and all those who attended last night’s gathering.

4. Retention.com CEO and Co-founder Adam Robinson, wife, and children among victims in Florida plane crash

The identities of the nine people killed in a private jet crash in Palm Beach County, Florida, were confirmed on Monday.

A Learjet 60 was bound for the Bahamas from Austin when it nosedived into a multi-lane highway on 1st November. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating whether ice and turbulence contributed to the crash, and whether human error played a role.

E-commerce technology startup Retention.com CEO and Co-founder, Adam Robinson, his wife Helen Sharp and their two children, Emma, 4, and Charlie, 2, were all killed in the crash.

A company spokesperson said: "We are heartbroken by the loss of Adam, his wife Helen and their two young children. Adam was much more than our CEO. He was a friend, a mentor and a bold, outspoken leader who lived life to the fullest. He cared deeply about the people around him and brought energy and conviction to everything he built. His loss is deeply felt across our team and the tech community, as we collectively mourn this significant loss."

They continued: "Our hearts are with Adam and Helen’s family and loved ones, and with everyone affected by the crash. We ask that their privacy be respected during this difficult time. Our immediate focus at Retention.com is supporting our employees and Adam and Helen’s family. We are grateful for the kindness and support extended to them and our team."

5. Ahold Delhaize USA ramps up in-store technology modernisation push with NCR Voyix

Ahold Delhaize USA is expanding its work with NCR Voyix as it looks to modernise key in-store capabilities across Point of Sale, self-checkout, pharmacy and fuel operations.

The multi-year roll-out is now underway, with new PoS technology now available in 100 stores and additional deployment planned over the next several years.

“As we advance our technology strategy, we’re focused on making it easier for customers to shop with our brands and easier for our brands’ associates to serve their customers,” says Ann Dozier, Chief Information Officer at Ahold Delhaize USA.

“Our goal is to create a more consistent technology foundation and a more connected experience, while maintaining the flexibility that allows each of our local brands to meet its customers’ needs in the short-term and positions us for the future. The roll-out is underway with new PoS technology now available in 100 stores, with the roll-out continuing over the next several years.”

The selection of the Voyix Commerce Platform builds on Ahold Delhaize USA’s relationship with NCR Voyix, whose technology has supported the company’s operations for a number of years.

6. Retail technology specialist Barron McCann appoints Ian Thomas as Chief Executive Officer

Barron McCann has announced the appointment of Ian Thomas as Chief Executive Officer. He was previously at Node4 where he served as Chief Operating Officer.

Scott Watson, Co-owner at Barron McCann Group, says: "I have great pleasure in announcing the appointment of Ian Thomas to the role of Chief Executive Officer of Barron McCann, marking another exciting milestone in our continued growth journey. Ian brings a wealth of experience from an impressive career leading technology services organisations through periods of growth, transformation and operational excellence."

"Building on the already excellent reputation of Barron McCann’s service delivery, Ian will lead the continued scaling of the business in line with our ambitious growth targets. In addition to the Barron McCann CEO role, Ian will join our group board, helping to shape our wider group strategy and deliver operational synergies across our companies."

He adds: "One of the greatest strengths of being a family owned business is our ability to think beyond the short-term. We can invest with confidence, make decisions based on what is right for the future of our people and our businesses, and remain true to the values that have shaped the group from the very beginning. Ian’s appointment is another investment in our future."

"Just as importantly, his character and approach align naturally with our family culture and the way we do business. I’m confident he will be a great addition to the group, and I’m excited about what this next chapter will bring as we continue to create new opportunities and build on our success together."

7. VoCoVo hires former Waterstones exec Emma Hillyard as CFO and former CBRE technology chief Paul Birkin as CTO

Retail communications specialist, VoCoVo, has announced the appointments of Emma Hillyard as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Paul Birkin as Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

Hillyard has worked across both the private and not for profit sectors, including retail, with previous CFO roles at Waterstones, Blackwells and Alzheimer’s Society.

She says: “VoCoVo has achieved strong growth already, and my role is to help make sure we navigate this next period and build on the growth already seen. For me, that means giving teams the insight and support they need to make informed decisions and creating the right environment for people to do their best work."

"I’ve always been very people centric and believe culture is critical to making meaningful change stick. That was a big part of what attracted me to VoCoVo. Its people and culture are a real superpower, and I’m excited to build on that.”

Birkin has held C-suite positions at CBRE, Experian, Capita, Logica and Cisco. 

He says, “I’ve spent much of my career leading large scale transformations where technology can make a visible difference. That’s what makes VoCoVo so exciting - there’s already a strong technology foundation and a true ambition to keep innovating. As retail becomes increasingly intelligent, AI has the potential to create huge business value. My focus is on turning that potential into tangible value for our customers and pushing what the connected store can deliver.”

8. JD Sports rolls out Zebra Technologies RFID tech across 414 stores in UK and Ireland

Zebra Technologies says that it has helped JD Sports to achieve 98% on-shelf availability and 20% faster replenishment, so high demand sizes move from the storeroom to the shelf when and where customers want them.

JD Sports has nearly 5,000 stores across 46 countries. As the retailer scaled, inventory visibility in stores remained a challenge. To reliably offer one-hour Click & Collect or 30-minute delivery, the stock count needed to be accurate. It sought a real-time inventory visibility solution that could support omnichannel retail, was easy for retail assistants to use and fast to roll-out across stores.

A pilot across five stores highlighted the capabilities of Zebra’s TC2 Series mobile computers paired with RFD40 UHF RFID sleds to read tags faster and at greater range. JD Sports also selected Zebra OneCare which allows its store associates to address everyday wear and tear and accidental damage by simply swapping devices at no cost if something breaks.

Alongside Zebra, JD Sports worked with Renovotec, a Zebra partner who led the device deployment, and Checkpoint Systems, a Zebra eegistered ISV who integrated its ItemOptix software, giving a single view of inventory data across the retailer.

"What Zebra gives us is the ability to scale with trust,” says Daniel McGrath, Head of Customer Operations, JD Sports. “Things just land and work. Colleagues open a box, turn it on, and they are up and running. That lets our teams spend their time where it matters: with the customer.”

9. Morrisons partners with Duvo as UK grocery giant eyes opportunities for AI adoption

Morrisons has partnered with Duvo.ai as it looks to identify opportunities to make greater use of AI across its existing systems.

Duvo was co-founded by Tomáš Čupr, who founded Rohlik Group, the European online grocer. It identifies and automates repetitive business tasks, freeing up team members to focus on decision-making, creativity, customer service and partner relationships.

The project will start by capturing how processes actually work across the UK grocery retailer's people, teams and systems. Duvo will then help it identify opportunities to simplify and redesign those processes, focusing where AI can create the most value, and highlighting a pathway for their swift adoption into everyday operations.

"Our business processes have evolved over decades and Duvo gives us a way to understand them in detail, and quickly," says Gordon MacPherson, Group Productivity Director at Morrisons.

"It means decisions about which repetitive everyday tasks to simplify, redesign and automate can be based on evidence rather than assumptions. That will give us a much clearer path from identifying AI opportunities to putting them into operation, freeing up our people to concentrate on high value work for the benefit of colleagues and customers."

10. Marks and Spencer taps Vusion EdgeSense platform amid retailer's store modernisation push

Vusion reports that Marks & Spencer will deploy its Connected Store platform to a number of new stores, with further roll-out potential in the future.

The deployment will support the retailer's focus on modernising store operations and improving the in-store experience for customers and colleagues.

Built on Bluetooth enabled infrastructure, Vusion's EdgeSense platform is designed to help connect store systems, product information and colleague activity more effectively across the shopfloor.

The initial deployment will focus on practical operational improvements, including managing product information more effectively, supporting colleagues in locating products more efficiently through location aware capabilities such as flashing labels, helping simplify in-store inventory processes and shopfloor execution, and creating a digital foundation that may support further store innovation over time.

Roy Horgan, CEO UK & Ireland at Vusion, says: “We are pleased to be working with M&S as it continues to invest in its store estate and colleague experience. Our Connected Store platform is designed to help retailers improve operational execution while providing the infrastructure to support future innovation.”