Dec 1, 2023

The event is now into its fifth year, with our 2023 winners being revealed during an event which took place at the Barbican Centre in central London and included a drinks reception in the stunning Conservatory , followed by a Christmas themed three course meal, and awards presentation in the Garden Room . Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, says: “Since we launched the awards in 2019, they have gone from strength to strength and holding them at the Barbican Centre, a much loved, internationally acclaimed venue, is going to be a tough one to top.” “Thanks to all those who entered the 2023 awards, many of whom were at our event last night. We received a record number of submissions this year and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.” “Congratulations to our 2023 winners and highly commended submissions.” “To quote a member of our judging panel: “What a year, these awards are really going from strength to strength. There were many categories in there that were so difficult to call. Very worthy entries and winners.” 2… Amazon has opened a Second Chance Store in London, giving festive shoppers the chance to buy quality returned products in-person, for the first time. This is located at the Brunswick Centre in Central London, and features deals on a wide range of returned products. Customers can shop for kitchen and household appliances, books, games and toys, electricals and more. Amazon offers quality returned products year round online at Amazon Second Chance, which also provides customers with information about product repair, recycling and trade-in for electronics. The store is open for the next two weeks in partnership with Barnardo’s, with all proceeds supporting its work with children and young people. 20… Amazon has opened an Amazon Fresh store in Notting Hill, London. To enter the store, customers walk through a non-gated entrance and shop for what they need. When done, they can either scan their in-store code (via the Amazon app) at the exit gate or tap their credit card. Customers can also use one of three self-checkout tills for an extra option. And they can pick up and return items purchased online from the in-store Amazon Hub counter, with QR code. 1… TrusTrace has announced a partnership with New Look, a fashion retailer in the UK and Republic of Ireland, to help the company gain greater visibility across its supply chain through suppliers and assist in identifying responsible sourcing and business continuity risks. “New Look is the first major UK retailer to join forces with TrusTrace, marking a major milestone in our pursuit to make global supply chains traceable, circular and fair,”  says TrusTrace CEO and Co-Founder Shameek Ghosh. “TrusTrace facilitates data collection from Tier 1 through to Tier 4, enabling New Look to access granular, validated product data to support its sustainability goals. This partnership will contribute to New Look’s ‘Kind to our Core’ mission by helping them make informed decisions to enhance responsible sourcing.” 70… Ikea UK has announced the national roll-out of over 70 additional mobile pick-up points in partnership with Tesco. Through the service, shoppers can collect their online Ikea orders from a designated area in the carpark of participating Tesco stores – with orders over £100 free to collect and £5 for all other orders. This follows a pilot launch of the scheme last year and the trial of 12 mobile pick-up points. The gradual expansion is now underway, with over 70 new pick-up points planned throughout various regions in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, which are all set to be live by autumn 2024. This year #BlackFriday was expected to be the biggest yet, and online shoppers did not disappoint. BigCommerce merchants saw: 🛒 +6% YoY in Black Friday sales 3… Square has launched Tap to Pay on iPhone across the UK, making it the third market globally where the company will offer the technology to its sellers. 19… Fossil Group is using NewStore’s technology globally across its Fossil, Fossil Outlet, and Watch Station stores. The lifestyle accessories company has replaced its legacy store solution with the NewStore mobile Point of Sale (mPOS) solution, which will be live in hundreds of locations across 19 countries once the project is complete. Fossil Group is putting an app powered, digitally connected retail experience in the hands of its associates, allowing them to assist and check out customers anywhere on the store floor with a mobile device. 1…DoorDash has announced a new partnership with Best Buy to offer on-demand delivery of consumer electronics from all the retailer’s US locations. Best Buy is the first national consumer electronics retailer available on the DoorDash marketplace, building on its expansion into new categories beyond restaurants. 1,200… Asda has selected NCR Atleos as its ATM network partner. Its customers will soon be able to transact with over 1,200 Cashzone branded Atleos owned and operated ATMs in more than 600 stores. According to a press release: “By selecting the proven experts at Atleos to provide an end-to-end ATM solution, Asda will reduce complexity and boost efficiency, while providing optimum availability and access for customers”. The grocery giant will also leverage Atleos’ onscreen marketing at the ATM to promote its brand, offers and services. We're proud to announce that NCR Atleos is the #ATM network partner for @ASDA Stores Limited -- providing shoppers with easy and secure access to cash services. Founded in January 2022 by Richard Carter, Lopay is an app that, to quote a press release, “enables small businesses to take card payments from their customers for a fraction of the cost charged by the corporate payment providers”. Users also have the option to receive cleared funds into their bank account the instant a transaction is made. UK consumers spent £1.04 billion online (up 4.1% YoY) as they sought to take advantage of the deep discounts on offer in the run up to Christmas . The company’s data from its Sensormatic IQ platform, which captures 40 billion shopper visits globally each year, showed that while footfall was down, the discounting event did deliver a week-on-week boost to shopper traffic, rising +52.4% compared to the Friday prior (17th November). While high streets and shopping centres struggled, retail parks defied the year-on-year Black Friday footfall decline, with store visits rising +1.9% compared to 2022. This could be attributed to the mix of both big box and discount retailers making up their retail offer, giving shoppers a ‘one stop shop’ for deals. $4.1 billion. That’s the total sales of @Shopify merchants on Black Friday. Year over year… our merchants break records. Hats off to all the hard-working entrepreneurs behind these businesses. pic.twitter.com/EHAseXTOmg 4… HMV's flagship store has been reopened by ska/pop legends Madness on Oxford Street following a four year hiatus. The retailer closed its main London branch in 2019 after going into administration. It was then taken over by Sunrise Records. The store at 363 Oxford Street opened its doors to the public last Friday. It had first appeared on London's iconic shopping street in 1921. According to a press release: “It will become a hub for entertainment in the capital and the largest entertainment outlet in London offering an unparalleled range of music, film, merchandise and technology products as well as performance spaces”. Great to see @hmvtweets returning to Oxford Street. Good memories of time spent in its flagship store during my teenage years and 20s, and a much needed boost for an Oxford Street that has been struggling with an identity crisis in recent years #hmv #oxfordstreet https://t.co/s2VDp6OZd4 6,000… InPost has deployed its 6,000th parcel locker in the UK at the Sainsbury’s Chiswick Superstore, London. In Q3 2023, parcel volumes across InPost’s UK network rose to 13.4 million, a 128% increase from the same period in 2022. The business has continued to expand the reach of its network, with 51% of residents in the UK’s core cities now living within a seven minute walk of an InPost OOH point. This means consumers can collect, return and send their parcels at locations such as train stations, petrol forecourts and supermarkets 24/7. 80% of Gen Z shoppers plan to spend more or the same on Christmas gifts compared to last year and visiting stores during the festive period is a top priority, according to research from Aptos .