Retail’s Reality Check

Walmart is launching a nationwide EV charging network across 4,600 U.S. stores, positioning itself as a key player in America’s electric vehicle infrastructure. Using a mix of Level 2 and DC fast chargers, Walmart aims to boost revenue, extend customer dwell time, and leverage federal EV infrastructure incentives.

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Jack’s Family Restaurants is expanding its partnership with PAR Technology, rolling out PAR POS, PAR Pay, PAR Wave, and Kitchen Display Systems across 300 locations. Building on its 2019 PAR Punchh loyalty program, Jack’s will unify PoS, payments, loyalty, and hardware on one scalable enterprise platform to drive digital growth and operational efficiency.

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Clorox completed the full rollout of its new SAP cloud-based ERP system across the U.S. and Canada, marking the end of a 5-year, $580 million digital transformation. The system integrates Finance, Supply Chain, and Sales teams with real-time data, enhancing efficiency, supplier collaboration, and decision-making across 21 manufacturing plants.

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Patchworks partnered with British brand Belstaff on a full digital transformation, replacing legacy systems with a unified, cloud-based e-commerce stack. Using a headless Shopify setup and NetSuite as the core system, Belstaff now supports omnichannel fulfillment and Click & Collect, powered by Patchworks integrations for real-time inventory and order visibility.

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Instacart expanded its partnership with Allegiance Retail Services, adding Caper Carts to Foodtown stores in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. The move integrates tools like FoodStorm, Carrot Tags, Storefront Pro, and AppCard’s loyalty platform to unify Allegiance’s digital, in-store, and rewards experiences across its 125 independent supermarkets.

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Walmart Inc. became the first traditional retailer to surpass a $1 trillion market capitalization, joining tech giants like Nvidia, Alphabet, and Apple. The milestone follows strong e-commerce growth (up 27% year over year) and leadership change as John Furner succeeds Doug McMillon as CEO. Walmart also recently moved to Nasdaq.

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McDonald’s has partnered with Forter to enhance fraud prevention and identity verification across its digital ecosystem. Using Forter’s real-time trust and fraud detection technology, McDonald’s will strengthen security for online orders, payments, and loyalty programs while maintaining the speed and convenience its customers expect.

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The Vitamin Shoppe opened its new Innovation Store on New York City’s Upper East Side, debuting Shoppe Advisor, an AI-powered digital touchscreen tool offering detailed product info, wellness content, and real-time inventory. The launch included a community event with RAW Nutrition, Juice Press, and fitness influencer Sara Saffari promoting a co-created “Berry Strong” smoothie.

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The National Grocers Association (NGA) has expanded its partnership with ReposiTrak to strengthen traceability compliance for independent grocers. Using ReposiTrak’s platform, NGA will offer education, training, and tools to help members meet FDA FSMA 204 regulations, improve cash flow, manage compliance, and reduce operational burdens.

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South Korea’s lifestyle brand LF selected Rimini Street’s Rimini Support™ to maintain its SAP ECC 6.0 and Oracle Database systems, improving reliability and service quality while cutting maintenance costs. LF will use the savings to fund digital transformation and AI-driven innovation initiatives, enhancing business efficiency and competitiveness.

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Gong cha launched its “Gong cha 2.0” initiative, a global redesign that merges beverage automation and self-order kiosks to boost efficiency, consistency, and profitability. The “Super Wu” automation system increases peak productivity by 65%, while kiosks raise ticket values up to 15%. New stores feature modern, open layouts and digital menu displays.

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Datadog is partnering with fashion e-commerce retailer The Iconic to unify observability and enhance performance monitoring across its AWS-based platform. Using Datadog’s AI-powered tools for logs, traces, metrics, and SLOs, The Iconic’s engineers gain faster issue detection, improved reliability, and optimized customer experiences during peak sales periods.

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Costco Wholesale Corp. has expanded its same-day delivery service via Instacart to France and Spain, launching new e-commerce websites powered by Instacart’s Storefront Pro platform. The rollout includes all Costco locations in both countries, offering members same-as-in-store pricing and same-day fulfillment through local Instacart partners.

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Landers Superstore, the Philippines’ fastest-growing membership retailer, has selected RELEX Solutions’ pricing and promotion tools to enhance promotion planning, price perception, and efficiency across 16 stores. Implemented with partner genieX, the system centralizes data-driven insights, enabling smarter decisions, improved promotional performance, and scalable growth across the Asia-Pacific region.

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Ahold Delhaize USA renewed its partnership with Circana to integrate Guiding Stars nutrition ratings into Circana’s Attribute Marketplace. This allows suppliers to analyze aggregated nutrition data, identify product and health trends, and track performance across grocery categories using Circana’s analytics tools and Ahold Delhaize’s proprietary rating system.

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Coty has partnered with OpenAI to roll out ChatGPT Enterprise and other AI tools across selected functions, boosting creativity, efficiency and operational excellence. The program builds on Coty’s existing AI use and global employee upskilling to embed secure, responsible AI in day-to-day work.

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Colgate-Palmolive is advancing its 2030 strategy focused on tech-enabled omnichannel demand generation. The company is integrating e-commerce and brick-and-mortar operations into a unified commercial structure, using AI, data, analytics, and automation to personalize marketing, optimize supply chains, and enhance pricing, promotions, and intelligent advertising efforts worldwide.

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Asos has trained over 100 designers in generative AI and integrated Fermat’s technology across design operations. The tool converts sketches into photorealistic visuals, enabling faster color and fabric exploration, clearer supplier communication, and reducing waste—achieving 75–80% time savings while boosting creativity and design innovation.

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Traxlo, a gig work platform connecting retailers like Carrefour with local workers, has launched in the UK after European success. Using its app tasku.app, retailers set per-task payments (£3–£50) while Traxlo manages quality control, training, and compliance. The Antler-backed startup has raised over €2.7 million in venture funding.

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The Spinx Company selected Tote.ai’s AI-powered, hardware-agnostic point-of-sale platform to roll out POS systems, self-service kiosks, and foodservice technology across all locations in 2026. Tote’s unified “one customer, one cart” system will modernize operations, connect forecourt and in-store experiences, and enhance efficiency with built-in AI tools.

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Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang clarified that the company’s proposed $100 billion investment in OpenAI was nonbinding, saying Nvidia would invest “one step at a time.” The plan, tied to building data centers using Nvidia’s AI chips, remains under review amid internal doubts and concerns about circular AI funding structures.

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Pet Pawr Group, the Nordic pet retailer, is expanding its partnership with RELEX Solutions to roll out forecasting and replenishment tools across 17 ZOO.se stores and three e-commerce sites. Building on PetXL’s RELEX success—boosting availability 1.37 points and turnover 21%—the group aims to unify operations, automate purchasing, and enhance supply chain efficiency.

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Ulta Beauty is piloting 10Beauty’s AI-powered robot manicurist, which uses cameras, a robotic arm, and precision tools to handle everything from nail shaping to polish. After six years of R&D and $50 million in funding, 10Beauty’s machines will launch this summer as Ulta integrates AI across retail operations.

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BENS Market partnered with Watchfire to install Washington state’s largest in-store LED display—a 97-foot dvLED system wrapping around two walls in its Blaine location. Using Watchfire’s S3.9 indoor display and cloud-based Ignite OPx software, the installation enhances customer experience, enables dynamic advertising, and creates new revenue opportunities.

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Albertsons Companies launched “Celebrations,” an online portal across its grocery banners that centralizes curated party, holiday, and special-occasion products. Integrated with Albertsons’ agentic AI shopping assistant, the platform offers personalized recommendations, custom cakes, catering, décor, and recipe planning with delivery or pickup options.

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NCR Atleos renewed its five-year partnership with Heart of England Co-operative to upgrade and manage 35 ATMs. The deal includes NCR Atleos’ hardware, software, and managed services to maintain reliable cash access and support financial inclusion across Coventry and Warwickshire.

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Kohler is deepening its AI-enabled digital transformation, rolling out cloud-based management tools enterprise-wide to optimize operations. Partnering with Cognizant on data and analytics, infrastructure, and cybersecurity, Kohler aims to boost agility, visibility, and generative AI innovation, while P&G advances similar AI-driven optimizations.

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LL Bean is accelerating store expansion while modernizing its supply chain, prioritizing three tools: machine learning demand forecasting, a new warehouse management system, and pre-pack “polybag” assortments to ease strain on its single DC, especially for its fastest-growing retail channel over its larger e-commerce and catalog business.

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Bed Bath & Beyond Inc., parent of Overstock and Buy Buy Baby, is acquiring Tokens.com to power a unified investment and personal finance platform. Supported by tZero’s blockchain infrastructure and an embedded AI layer, the platform will enable tokenization, custody, and trading of real-world and digital assets within regulated frameworks.

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Kingfisher plc is transforming its DIY and home improvement portfolio—including B&Q, Screwfix, Castorama, Brico Dépôt and GoodHome—into a unified, data-driven, omnichannel ecosystem. Using own-brand innovation, digital tools, and rapid click-and-collect capabilities, it aims to boost margins, expand trade services, and strengthen competitiveness against Leroy Merlin, Home Depot, and Amazon.

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Brunello Cucinelli launched a new AI-powered ecommerce site built on its proprietary Solomeo AI platform, Callimacus. The tool personalizes shopping by interpreting customer prompts and mimicking in-store luxury experiences. Industry experts say the platform deepens brand connection and storytelling rather than emphasizing faster conversions.

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Session outlines how IHL Group’s research shows profit-leading retailers invest 208% more in inventory visibility and are 136% more likely to use hybrid data capture, combining smart devices, fixed cameras, robots and RFID to boost on-shelf availability, de-risk inventory projects and scale successful pilots in 2026.

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Donghua University researchers in Shanghai have created flexible, hair-thin “fiber electronics” chips that can be spun into yarn and woven into fabrics, surviving at least 30 wash cycles while retaining over 90% performance. These smart textiles enable continuous health monitoring, environmental sensing, and Bluetooth-like IoT connectivity, potentially transforming wearables and strengthening China’s position in advanced smart-textile manufacturing.

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Church & Dwight is blurring the lines between e-commerce, social commerce, and retail media using data- and AI-driven tools. EVP Surabhi Pokhriyal said AI supports social listening, creative testing, and retail media targeting while optimizing discoverability with tools like Sparky and Rufus on Walmart and Amazon for stronger omnichannel engagement.

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TPS Group Holdings, parent of The Paper Store, Gifts & More, and Uncharted, is deploying Kibo’s unified commerce platform and Jumpmind’s POS, inventory, and promotions suite across 100+ stores. Partnering with Perficient, the company aims to enhance omnichannel operations, real-time inventory visibility, and support its national expansion strategy.

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Opici Family Distributing extended its partnership with Provi, the B2B digital beverage platform, to expand digital ordering and communication across NJ, CT, DC, DE, and MD. The collaboration supports Opici’s omnichannel strategy, enhancing retailer access, sales efficiency, and customer engagement through Provi’s marketplace tools.

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Pilot Travel Centers LLC is partnering with Tesla to install heavy-duty electric semi-truck chargers at select travel centers along I-5, I-10, and other major routes. Using Tesla’s V4 cabinet technology (up to 1.2 MW per stall), construction begins mid-2026 across five states, with initial sites opening that summer.

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AS Watson Health & Beauty Benelux, operator of Kruidvat and Trekpleister, has chosen RELEX Solutions’ cloud-native platform for unified space planning across 1,500 stores in the Netherlands and Belgium. The AI-driven system replaces legacy tools, automating merchandising decisions, optimizing store layouts, and improving efficiency, inventory control, and profitability.

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American Eagle launched its Substack newsletter Off The Cuff, guest-edited by creators like Casey Lewis and Tariro Makoni, as part of a broader retail shift toward long-form, community-driven creator content. At NRF 2026, Walmart, H&M, Lowe’s, and Abercrombie & Fitch highlighted similar creator strategies using Substack, Discord, and Klaviyo to build authentic engagement beyond social media.

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Moleskine has chosen XY Retail as its unified commerce technology partner to drive global expansion of its direct-to-consumer retail strategy. XY Retail’s platform will deliver real-time inventory visibility and intelligent stock replenishment, supporting Moleskine’s compact store formats as it scales across Europe, Asia, and the U.S.

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Shiji has completed its 400th installation of the Infrasys POS system at Hyatt Regency Greenville, South Carolina. The deployment includes Infrasys POS, Stellaris Digital Dine, QSR/KDS, and mobile POS hardware, enabling Hyatt staff to manage F&B operations, digital orders, and payments while enhancing guest experience.

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Matalan is piloting Toshiba’s VisualStore 6 (VS6) EPoS self-service solution in three UK stores, including Coventry South, following earlier go-lives in two sites. Early feedback from store staff and customers is positive, and the partners plan a wider roll-out after this initial phase.

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UPS has expanded its “Smart Package Smart Facility” program by adding RFID labeling at all 5,500 The UPS Store locations, processing 1.3 million RFID-tagged packages daily. The move improves shipment visibility and efficiency, complements UPS’ Digital Access Platform, and supports CEO Carol Tomé’s automation and productivity goals across U.S. operations.

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Lino Perros has partnered with WebEngage, a Customer Data Platform and marketing automation provider, to deliver a personalized, omnichannel customer experience. Using WebEngage’s real-time intent data and journey orchestration, the fashion brand drives re-engagement through features like price drop alerts, wishlist reminders, and seasonal campaigns to build loyalty and repeat purchases.

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Ace Hardware expanded its long-term digital transformation with Cognizant to include warehouse management and enterprise pricing. The rollout of Manhattan Warehouse Management for Open Systems across 10 U.S. distribution centers boosts efficiency, while SAP migration and AI-powered automation support e-commerce growth exceeding 450% since 2019.

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Italian supermarket chain Italmark has selected RELEX Solutions to implement integrated forecasting and replenishment across 100 stores and four distribution centers. The RELEX platform will automate planning for Italmark and Italbrix, improving fresh food management, reducing waste, boosting availability, and enhancing supply chain visibility and KPI-driven governance.

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A PayPal and National Cryptocurrency Association survey found 39% of U.S. retailers now accept cryptocurrency payments, and 84% expect crypto to become common within five years. PayPal’s May Zabaneh said adoption is accelerating as merchants respond to high customer demand for faster, more flexible payment options.

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Hot Topic implemented Snowflake’s enterprise data cloud with the Robling retail analytics platform to unify product and customer data, moving from siloed systems to a 360-degree enterprise view. This shift enabled 1,000+ decision-makers with self-service reporting, cut shipping costs (saving $200K in the first weekend), sped campaign insights from a week to a day, and improved omnichannel experience alignment.

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Miu Miu Beauty, under L’Oréal Luxe, is using AI mainly for internal efficiency and creative testing rather than consumer-facing features. Tools like Vizit and L’Oréal GPT support content optimization and collaboration. Following its 2025 Miutine fragrance launch at Sephora, Ulta, and Macy’s, the brand maintains human-led creativity guided by L’Oréal’s ethical AI framework.

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California-based Vallarta Supermarkets has become the first North American retailer to deploy Smartway’s AI-powered food waste management system, which identifies products nearing expiration and improves efficiency. Vallarta also uses Logile’s AI Fresh Item Management for 97% demand forecasting accuracy, driving fresher products and reduced waste across its 55 stores.

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Amazon will discontinue its Amazon One palm payment system due to limited customer adoption, removing all devices by June 3. The technology, used in Amazon Go, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods, and Panera Bread locations, is ending as Amazon also closes most Go and Fresh stores and deletes all related biometric data.

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