Flagship stores and AI powered product content: this week's biggest retail technology stories
It's Friday, the weekend is almost upon us, so let’s kick back and reflect on another eventful week for the retail systems space. Here's your briefing on the most important stories from the past few days, including JYSK, Fanatics Collectibles, Wolt, Obsess, Hugo Boss, Co-op, YEEP!, New Look, Medallia, and Higher Oak.
1. Fanatics Collectibles flagship retail store on London's Regent Street set to open during spring
Fanatics Collectibles has announced its first ever flagship store, set to open in the spring of 2025 on Regent Street in London.
The focus will be sports and entertainment trading cards and trading card games, featuring Fanatics Collectibles’ brands, including Topps, Merlin, Match Attax and Bowman.
Last year Topps secured the exclusive trading card rights to the Premier League, with product launching in time for the 2025/2026 season. It also currently has the exclusive rights for UEFA national team competitions and club competitions and will begin making licensed NBA product later this year.
The store will span 803 square metres (8,647 square feet) and will include a central display of the rarest and most desirable cards, all with a giant suspended circular screen above. It will offer exclusive product and have thousands of unique items, inclusive of single cards, retail boxes and high end hobby releases.
It will also see community building events from monthly trade nights, kids rip events, athlete signings and appearances, partner activations and grading drop-off. Along with retail space, the store will feature a breaking studio (live and taped opening of card packs), interactive customer education touchpoints, and a personal card creation suite.
2. Infinite Reality follows hefty fundraising push with agreement to buy virtual stores specialist Obsess
Infinite Reality, which powers digital media and e-commerce through extended reality (XR), artificial intelligence (AI), and other immersive technologies, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquiree Obsess, a virtual platform that has launched over 400 3D digital stores and experiences.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The acquisition comes on the heels of iR’s $3 billion in fundraising announced earlier this month, and marks the first acquisition since the raise in capital. It will integrate Obsess’s technology and cross-platform distribution capabilities into its product portfolio, expanding its e-commerce solutions.
Founded in 2017 by CEO Neha Singh, Obsess has worked with the likes of Ralph Lauren, L’Oréal, Crate & Barrel, e.l.f. Cosmetics, J.Crew and Disney Music Group. Singh, who brings expertise as both a former Google software engineer and the previous Head of Product for Vogue, joins Infinite Reality as Chief Innovation Officer, and will continue to develop new products that aim to reimagine how brands interact with consumers online.
3. Parcel locker provider YEEP! partners with Co-op as trial kicks off across 30 of UK retailer's stores
YEEP! has partnered with Co-op in a move that will see its parcel lockers installed at 30 of the UK convenience retailer’s stores.
The first lockers to be trialled at Co-op stores will include locations in: Bletchley; Wigan Road, Bolton; Bromyard and Kington (Herefordshire); Castle Douglas (Dumfries and Galloway); Edwinstowe, Stanton Hill and Selston (Nottinghamshire); Kidwelly (Carmarthenshire) and Rainhill, with ambitions to grow the number of lockers during 2025.
George Hayworth, Head of Quick Commerce (Q Comm) Development, Co-op, says: “Partnering with Yeep! enables Co-op to further expand its network of safe, secure and convenient parcel lockers.”
“The parcel lockers form part of Co-op’s approach to develop added services and enhanced convenience - creating a compelling customer offer to ensure our stores are a convenient destination not only for groceries but for a range of services that meet the needs of local communities. Helping local residents, commuters and time-pressed consumers pick up or return parcels at a time that suits them, quickly, easily and conveniently.”
4. New Look enlists Medallia and Higher Oak for launch of new omnichannel CX programme
Medallia and Higher Oak are working with New Look to improve customer experience (CX) across its UK and Republic of Ireland operations.
Powered by Medallia’s technology and delivered by Higher Oak, a new CX programme can now capture customer feedback across New Look’s stores, website, app, and contact centre.
The retailer wanted to expand the offering beyond its in-store process. Higher Oak designed the new strategy and built and tested the programme within Medallia Experience Cloud.
Text analytics powered by Medallia's artificial intelligence has been deployed to uncover recurring themes within customer feedback, enabling each department to make informed decisions regarding their remit.
For fast paced teams like the delivery and returns department, the platform’s capacity for real-time data updates has been valuable for addressing evolving customer needs.
“Medallia’s cutting-edge technology and pedigree within the retail sector, coupled with Higher Oak’s extensive experience, made them the ideal partners to help us realise our vision for the future of New Look,” says Craig Diggins, Head of Customer Planning, Data Analysis and E-commerce at New Look.
“We’ve been able to hit the ground running, with the collaboration equipping us with the tools needed to enhance every customer interaction, whether in-store or online. We are looking forward to further exploring the platform to drive positive change for our customers.”
“The immersive, high impact content on our screens provides brands with a powerful platform to connect with consumers in ways that drive brand visibility, engagement, and, ultimately, purchase decisions.”
5. Wolt makes three new retail leadership appointments as it ramps up non-restaurant expansion
Local commerce platform Wolt has announced the appointment of three new leaders within its retail operations, as it looks to further expand its non-restaurant business.
The Helsinki-headquartered technology company has brought in Christian Urban as Global Head of Grocery to lead strategy and operations for its partnership business. Urban was formerly Director of Marketplace for the Asia-Pacific region at foodpanda.
Nils Salzmann takes on the role of Global Head of Commercial. He spent seven years at Amazon and Amazon Fresh in a range of commercial leadership roles, and also led the Berlin launch of Knuspr.de in 2024.
Arusha Imtiaz, meanwhile, is the new Global Head of Strategy & Business Operations. She previously led Alibaba’s business in Pakistan, and also helped establish its marketplace business across five Asian markets.
6. SheerLuxe partners with C-Screens to bring premium content to UK retail locations including Lakeside
UK luxury lifestyle brand, SheerLuxe, has announced a partnership with C-Screens, a TV Out-of-Home (TVOOH) network.
This will see SheerLuxe’s curated editorial and video content showcased on C-Screens' large format screens, offering an immersive experience for shoppers in key retail destinations such as Lakeside and MetroCentre. This project adds to existing premium content partnerships that C-Screens hold with brands such as TikTok and Lounges.TV.
“We’re thrilled to be working with SheerLuxe to bring their fresh, dynamic content to our screens,” says Steve Chambers, CCO at C-Screens.
“Our goal is to entertain, inspire, and captivate visitors in retail environments, and SheerLuxe’s engaging content perfectly aligns with our mission to enhance the out-of-home media experience for audiences. For advertisers, this partnership offers a unique opportunity to reach a premium, fashion conscious audience at key moments during their retail journey.”
7. Change at the top as Danish retailer JYSK promotes Keld Marott to Executive Vice President of IT
JYSK reports that its IT unit has become part of the retailer’s executive management team, with Chief Information Officer Keld Marott being promoted to Executive Vice President of IT.
In a press release, it says: “The need for digital solutions has never been more important than now to ensure that JYSK stays competitive and relevant towards customers and suppliers and to employees as an attractive place to work.”
“During the last years, we have invested in upgrading our 3,500 stores to the Store Concept 3.0. This project is now completed and in the next strategy period from financial year 2026, We plan to invest in the development of digital solutions.”
“I am pleased to welcome Keld Marott into our executive management team. Keld has been with JYSK for over two decades and is a valued member of our leadership team,” says President and CEO at JYSK, Rami Jensen. “We need to continue to upgrade and develop our digital solutions and I look forward to working closely with Keld and our Executive Management team on strengthening our IT development even more.”
8. Hugo Boss goes live with AI powered product content across global e-commerce platforms
Hugo Boss has launched AI powered product content live across its e-commerce platforms globally.
“This isn’t just about leveraging cutting-edge technology, it’s about delivering meaningful innovation that drives tangible results for our customers and our business,” says Jan Philipp Wintjes, Executive Vice President Global Omnichannel.
He adds: “By harnessing the power of AI, the Hugo Boss Web3 & Immersive Experiences team is pioneering the use of advanced AI tools in image and video creation. This launch represents a future where technology seamlessly meets creativity and precision. This is AI in action, not as a concept, but as a catalyst for growth, efficiency, and improved customer experiences.”
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