E-commerce & Retail News Hub
UK tech funding roundup: This week’s deals from Inherent to Mykor
This week’s UK tech funding deals include AI scientific research lab Inherent, biomaterials company Mykor and more. UKTN tracked £102.7m worth of UK tech investment this week (25 May to 29 May), a 20% week-on-week decrease across six funding rounds. ...
UK and France strike new tech deal ahead of G7 talks
The UK and France have signed a new science and technology deal that will provide funding for partnerships between research teams from the two nations. The agreement, announced by Tech Secretary Liz Kendall ahead of the upcoming G7 talks in Paris, wi...
Forget chatbots, the real AI retail revolution is happening behind the scenes
Retailers are being told they need to move faster on AI, but Satalia founder Daniel Hulme argues the biggest gains will not come from shiny generative tools, but from using the right algorithms to solve the operational problems that quietly drain mar...
Disney unveils London pop-up for new collectible range
Disney has unveiled a new pop-up in London for its latest YuYu range, which will officially launch in stores this July. The range turns Disney characters into clip on accessories wearing animal inspired outfits. Much like popular collectibles Labubu’...
How the UK can lead the future of photonics
The global photonics market is projected to exceed £1tn by 2030. While the UK’s 3.5% share might appear modest, that is still an £8.6bn sector employing more than 84,000 people across 1,400 companies. The Council for Science and Technology has recent...
Adnams to close five stores as cost pressures hit retail estate
Adnams is closing five of its stores as it looks to reshape its retail estate, citing ‘sustained cost pressures’. The Suffolk-based beer, wine and spirits business will shut branches in Hadleigh, Norwich, Frinton-on-Sea, Saffron Walden and Stamford b...
Google Ventures leads £11m round for UK cyber firm
MokN, a cybersecurity company specialising in anti-credential theft, has secured a $15m (£11.1m) funding round led by Google Ventures. The London-based company has developed a “Phish-Back” solution designed to outsmart attackers attempting to steal c...
Patagonia faces backlash over trademark lawsuit against drag climate activist Pattie Gonia
Patagonia is facing a growing backlash after launching a trademark lawsuit against US drag performer and climate activist Pattie Gonia, who has accused the outdoor clothing brand of trying to “erase an activist”. Wyn Wiley, who performs as Pattie Gon...
London-based AI lab Inherent emerges from stealth with £40m raise
Inherent, a London-based AI lab that aims to reinvent the scientific method, has emerged from stealth with a $50m (£37.2m) fund raise. Founded by former staff of DeepMind, Microsoft and the White House, Inherent is planning to create what it calls th...
36% of shoppers have used AI to help buy groceries
More than a third of shoppers have used AI to help buy groceries in the past six months, with most using it to compare prices, according to new research by global commerce operations platform Rithum. In an increasingly value-driven retail environment...
BRC warns youth jobs push will fail unless ministers tackle rising retail costs
The BRC has warned that government efforts to get more young people into work risk being undermined by rising employment costs and new regulation, as Alan Milburn’s interim report on youth inactivity laid bare the scale of the UK’s jobs crisis. The r...
Unilever bets $270m on AI-led innovation hub to speed up beauty and wellbeing launches
Unilever is investing $270m in a new global innovation centre in New Haven, Connecticut, with a view to accelerating product development across its personal care, beauty and wellbeing brands. The site, which is expected to open by spring 2029, will b...
Arla and DMK merger cleared by regulators
Arla Foods and DMK Group have secured all required regulatory approvals for their planned merger, paving the way for the creation of Europe’s leading farmer-owned dairy cooperative. The deal, which is expected to take effect on 1 June 2026, will brin...
Burberry boss could earn up to £12.2m as brand pushes back climate targets
Burberry chief executive Joshua Schulman could earn up to £12.2m under a new bonus scheme, as the luxury fashion retailer also scaled back its climate ambitions. Schulman, who joined the British brand in July 2024 from US fashion label Coach, was pai...
Asda partners with Ocado to overhaul online grocery business
Asda has struck a new partnership with Ocado Group to upgrade its online grocery operations as the supermarket looks to improve customer experience and regain market share. The grocer, which is the UK’s third-largest supermarket, will roll out Ocado’...
JD.com’s $2.5bn Ceconomy bid faces EU probe over Chinese subsidy concerns
JD.com ’s $2.5bn (£2bn) bid for German electronics retailer Ceconomy is facing an in-depth investigation by European Union regulators over concerns that the deal may involve Chinese state subsidies. The European Commission said on Thursday that its p...
Temu fined €200m by EU over illegal product risks
Temu has been fined €200m (£173m) by the European Commission for failing to properly assess and reduce the risk of illegal and dangerous products being sold through its marketplace. The penalty, issued under the EU’s Digital Services Act, follows a 1...
Is the future of AI infrastructure in the Middle East?
As much of the world scrambles to implement fast-moving data and compute strategies to secure their share of the AI dividend, the Middle East appears to be emerging as an ideal beneficiary. The governments of the GCC have been among the most aggressi...
GUEST POST: Pricing agility without margin leakage: why pricing and rebates must move together
Steve Peppler, VP of Product & Business Transformation, Enable , explores a common retailer problem – the disconnect between pricing decisions and commercial agreements. The Bank of England’s recent comments around the likely rise of dynamic on-shelf...
Q&A: Lipton Tea & Infusions’ Elle Barker on turning tap water into a category opportunity
Tea has always been a predictable business; hot drinks in cold weather creating a steady demand with consumers sticking to familiar formats. However, Lipton Tea shows that this is beginning to shift. Lipton Tea & Infusions’ Elle Barker. A new cold-br...
Why the World Cup could become a stress test for UK retail logistics
As retailers prepare for a summer trading rush around the FIFA World Cup, fulfilment specialists are warning that operational resilience, instead of marketing spend, could determine which businesses benefit the most. Logistics firm Diamond Logistics ...
Aldi begins £500m operations at UKs largest supermarket warehouse
Aldi has begun initial operations at what it says is the UK’s largest supermarket distribution centre following a £500m investment in the site. The discounter has made its first delivery from the new 1.3 million sq ft facility at Bardon in Leicesters...
Perceptic raises £9m to boost AI drug discovery
Perceptic has raised a $12m (£9m) seed round led by Accel, Air Street Capital and Elder Gull to accelerate its build of a single AI system to unify research, development and clinical decision-making across the drug lifecycle. Drug development remains...
Gap teams up with Ouigi Theodore for football inspired collection
Gap has unveiled a new collection inspired by football culture ahead of the 2026 World Cup. The OuiGap collection was designed by Ouigi Theodore, the founder of The Brooklyn Circus. It will be released on May 29 and pays homage to Haiti’s 1974 footba...
How the government can tread safely through data centre minefield
In a world where it feels the government cannot put a foot right, there’s a danger it may soon march headlong into a tech minefield. Already imperilled in some eyes with an imminent leadership contest, two news snippets caught the eye, which may ulti...
Amazon opens Alexa shopping tech to retailers with new AWS agentic AI tool
Amazon is bringing the technology behind its Alexa for Shopping assistant to retailers outside of its own ecosystem through a new AWS solution designed to help brands build their own AI-powered shopping experiences. Amazon said its new Agentic Shoppi...
Orbital Industries raises £37.3m to build industrial hardware using AI
Orbital Industries has raised $50m (£37.3m) in Series B funding to scale its build of industrial hardware using AI. The firm designs, engineers and manufactures physical infrastructure using AI to accelerate how new technologies are discovered and br...
Jellycat launches legal action against Next and Hamleys over trademark claims
Jellycat has launched legal action against Next and Hamleys as the fast-growing soft toy brand seeks to protect its designs amid a surge in popularity. The British toy company has filed three separate lawsuits in the London High Court over trademark ...
Deliveroo partners with Ryman to launch rapid stationery delivery
Deliveroo has struck an exclusive partnership with Ryman, marking the first time a national stationer has joined the delivery platform. The tie-up will see 185 Ryman stores added to Deliveroo, giving customers access to more than 4,000 stationery, of...
London reclaims top spot as Europe’s leading tech ecosystem
London has overtaken Paris and reclaimed its position as Europe’s leading tech ecosystem, according to the latest Dealroom Global Tech Ecosystem Index 2026. Ranked fourth globally, London remains one of the world’s top hubs as competition intensifies...