It has been a busy week for physical retail. Sephora found a new route onto UK high streets, Morrisons introduced automated grocery lockers and River Island put technology inside the fitting room.
Elsewhere, THG Fulfil expanded its warehouse-automation offer, Disney launched a different take on loyalty and Iceland turned to AI to reduce food waste.
Here’s what you might have missed.
Sephora finds a new route onto UK high streets
Sephora will launch in 100 M&S stores from spring 2027. The shop-in-shop partnership will combine Sephora’s beauty expertise with M&S’s national store network.
Morrisons tests automated grocery collections
Morrisons is piloting temperature-controlled Click & Collect lockers at its Skipton store. Created with StrongPoint, the lockers can hold ambient, chilled and frozen groceries. Customers can collect orders without waiting for a colleague to bring their shopping to the car.
The trial will extend collection hours by two hours a day. VoCoVo technology connects customers with store colleagues when help or an age-verification check is needed.
River Island brings technology into the fitting room
River Island has introduced RFID checkouts and smart fitting rooms at its new centre:mk store. Customers can request another size or product without leaving the fitting room, while RFID and weight-sensing technology supports self-service checkout.
The 12,800 sq ft Milton Keynes store is the first example of a concept River Island plans to take to more locations.
THG Fulfil expands its warehouse-automation offer
THG Fulfil has expanded its partnership with AutoStore, giving retailers more choice over how they finance warehouse automation.
Retailers can buy the infrastructure, use THG Fulfil’s Robotics-as-a-Service model or combine the two. The options allow businesses to balance asset ownership with cash-flow requirements.
THG Fulfil operates 796 AutoStore robots and says its integration can deliver more than 11,000 bins to picking stations every hour.
Retailers invest in AI and stores
Retailers have more than doubled their adoption of AI since 2024, according to CBRE. Another 43% are exploring the technology, with personalisation tools and customer-service chatbots are the most common uses. Store expansion remains firmly on the agenda with 65% planning to open more stores and 91% still consider stores central to their strategy.
Iceland uses AI to tackle food waste
Iceland Foods is introducing Retail Insight’s WasteInsight platform to identify products at risk of becoming waste. The technology analyses operational data and recommends where markdown activity is needed. It is designed to help store teams intervene before waste occurs rather than simply reporting it afterwards.
Disney Store launches loyalty without the points
Disney Store has launched a free UK membership programme ahead of Christmas. Disney Store Unlocked offers early access to selected launches and sales, member-only savings, delivery benefits and a birthday discount.
Rather than using points, the programme focuses on access, exclusivity and convenience – benefits likely to appeal to fans seeking collectable and limited-edition products.
Provenance CEO discusses trust in AI shopping
In the latest Women in Commerce interview, Provenance CEO Sarah Arana-Morton discusses why verified product information matters as AI increasingly influences purchasing decisions.
She explains how Provenance helps brands support product claims with evidence, allowing shoppers and AI agents to decide what to trust. Products carrying its Proof Points are selected by AI shopping agents 50% more often.
She also shares lessons from her career, including more than two decades at dunnhumby and her time leading OpenCorporates.
Very appoints former Frasers marketing chief
The Very Group has appointed Beckie Crane-Stanion as Marketing Director. She will lead its brand, creative and marketing strategy, including the retailer’s in-house agency HelloStudio.
She previously spent more than a decade at Frasers Group, where she was most recently Group Chief Marketing Officer.
Freight Island secures £3 million
Freight Island has secured £3 million to support its UK expansion. The funding is supporting its Newcastle development at the former Debenhams site in Eldon Square. The venue includes a 12-kitchen food market and live-fire restaurant, with a music venue also planned. Around 300 jobs are expected to be supported, with further growth planned in Leeds and other locations.
BrewDog strengthens its leadership team
BrewDog has made four senior appointments covering marketing, hospitality, category strategy and international growth. The new leadership includes John Beasley as Chief Marketing Officer and Gemma Hampton-Stone as Managing Director of Bars and Hospitality. The appointments offer a clearer indication of BrewDog’s priorities as the business begins its next stage under Tilray Brands.
