2. Walgreens focuses on stores and omnichannel push as it boosts retail and customer experience team
Walgreens has appointed Tracey Koller as Senior Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer, and Sharmila Sudhakar as Group Vice President and Head of Walgreens Digital Commerce.
It says that this will significantly contribute to its efforts with regard to the turnaround of the business as the company focuses on enhancing the front of store and omnichannel experience for its customers while driving in-store efficiencies.
“Our retail pharmacy business is uniquely positioned to expand the role we play in the lives of our patients who have come to expect and need retail pharmacy at the centre of their care,” says Tracey Brown, Executive Vice President and President, Walgreens Retail and Chief Customer Officer.
“To do this, we are investing in the industry’s best talent, which includes the addition of Tracey and Sharmila to the Walgreens leadership team.”
“With their strong track records of delivering results in omnichannel solutions and merchandising, I know they will be critical contributors to our growth and success as we deliver an efficient, highly relevant customer experience.”
3. Primark preps London Oxford Street West go live as value retailer continues self-checkout technology push
Primark is continuing its deployment of self-checkouts with a major go live set for this week.
The programme started in 2022 and has seen roll-outs at such stores as Sheffield, West Bromwich, Basingstoke, Kingston and Milton Keynes.
In a LinkedIn post, dated Friday, 16th August, Kerry Hooley, Project Retail Implementation Lead at Primark, said: “It has been a bustling week for Primark, particularly in self-checkouts.”
“This week, the Truro, Broughton Park, Oxford Street East, and Chester stores officially launched their new self-checkouts. Oxford Street West has had excellent training sessions and is ready for next week’s go live.”
“Thank you and congratulations to everyone involved for their hard work and dedication in making this successful for our stores.”
4. Focus on online retail and physical stores as RTIH gears up to launch seventh issue of its printed magazine
In this edition, we showcase the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards, sponsored by CADS, 3D Cloud, and Retail Technology Show 2025, and Business France.
Deadline for entries is Friday, 25th October, with winners being announced at the 2024 RTIH Innovation Awards ceremony, to be held at RIBA’s 66 Portland Place HQ in Central London on Thursday, 21st November.
We also present the Retail Technology Innovations Report, sponsored by 3D Cloud.
This highlights the top 50 retail tech plays of the past 12 months as decided by myself and an independent advisory panel.
Innovation and technology play a critical role in the success of the retail sector, and it is great to celebrate this with the Retail Technology Innovations report.
We have now started work on the 2025 edition, which will be published both in our magazine and on our website in March of next year. In this issue, we run through a few early contenders for the next top 50.
Elsewhere, RTIH talks social media, physical locations and online opportunities with Louis Rose, Co-founder of Sofa Club, and our secret shopper delves into the online experience offered by Cider, the fast fashion firm that is challenging Shein.
Also, our Editor Scott Thompson highlights the continued importance of high streets and town centres amid the rise in popularity of streaming services and online shopping.
They are vital for the UK’s economic success. But it goes beyond that. They also play a massive role in civic and community life, in a way that Netflix, Amazon et al will never be able to do.
And last but most certainly not least, regular contributor, Mike Cadden, talks about how building a community around your e-commerce brand is a powerful strategy for driving long-term sales and enhancing customer lifetime value.
If you are a retailer and would like to receive a free copy of issue seven of RTIH magazine, please complete the form at the end of this article and we will add you to our mailing list.