Automation

DHL Supply Chain to invest £550m in UK and Ireland automation

DHL Supply Chain is to invest £550m to expand its infrastructure and speed up automation across operations in the UK and Ireland, targeting growth in e-commerce and life sciences healthcare. The move builds on the €1bn (£861m) the contract logistics firm has spent on automation over the past three years.…

Read More »

Amazon hits robot milestone as fleet nears outnumbering humans

Amazon has deployed its one millionth robot to its workforce, marking the highest number of robots the company has ever had and almost equalling the number of human workers at its facilities. According to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon currently employs about 1.56 million people overall, with the majority of…

Read More »

Dotdigital Group acquires influencer, affiliate and referral marketing platform Social Snowball for $35m

Dotdigital Group plc (AIM: DOTD), the leading SaaS provider of customer experience and data platforms (CXDP), has acquired Social Snowball Holdings, Inc., a US-based influencer, affiliate, and referral marketing platform for e-commerce brands, for $35m (£25.5m). The investment brings together two fast growing technologies that until now have been distinct…

Read More »

Ocado expands Bon Preu partnership with new warehouse

Online retail technology firm Ocado Group and supermarket chain Bon Preu have announced plans to open a new customer fulfilment centre in Parets del Vallès, Catalonia. The automated site will serve online grocery orders across the region and marks the latest phase in the two companies’ long-standing partnership. Bon Preu…

Read More »

Debenhams Group adopts AI for real-time pricing across brands

Debenhams Group has introduced artificial intelligence (AI) technology across its brands to automate product pricing and promotions in real time. The news follows the retailer’s partnership with AI platform Peak to replace manual pricing with automated, data-driven processes. The rollout will cover thousands of stock keeping units (SKUs) across its…

Read More »

The most sought-after jobs in British retail in 2025

By 2025, the British retail landscape is a mysterious blend of shuttered doors, mass sackings, and a thriving ecosystem of creativity and new career opportunities which can be home-grown. While the closure of thousands of stores and the whole transformation of the high streets made it look like the retail…

Read More »

What does the new Employment Rights Bill mean for retailers?

The Employment Rights Bill, slated for major implementation in autumn 2026, is being hailed by the government as a bold step forward for workers’ rights. But for the retail sector – a cornerstone of the UK economy that employs over three million people – the swift nature of the proposed…

Read More »

Retailers at risk: how cyber threats are shaping the future of commerce

In recent weeks two major UK retailers – Marks and Spencer and Co-op – have fallen victim to high-profile cyber attacks that sent ripples through the entire retail sector. These breaches were a stark reminder that no company, no matter how established or trusted, is immune from cyber threats.  As…

Read More »

THG revenues rise 1.1% to £1.8bn in FY24

THG has seen its revenues rise by 1.1% year-on-year to £1.8bn in the year to 31 December 2024, while its pre-demerger adjusted EBITDA hit £123.1m in line with guidance and consensus.  It comes as, during 2024, THG completed its Ingenuity demerger, joined the FTSE 250 index, and refinanced its long-term…

Read More »

Retail’s staffing crisis: why jobs are disappearing and what’s next

Across the UK, retail employment remains 5% below pre-pandemic levels, according to Deputy’s Big Shift 2025 report. The decline is steady, pushed along by automation, e-commerce, and shifting worker expectations. In contrast, London’s hospitality sector is booming – fuelled by the city’s night-time economy, now worth a quarter of all…

Read More »