From a welcome dip in retail crime rates reported by the BRC, to Co-op investing in new staff safety technology and JD.com launching its new online shopping platform Joybuy in the UK, what’s been making waves in retail this week?

Boots extends partnership with XPO Logistics

Boots has selected XPO Logistics as its long-term partner to support the integration of its supply chain, improve customer visibility through innovation and drive sustainable efficiencies. 

The new partnership will see XPO Logistics help the health & beauty retailer improve visibility through new track-and-trace technology and XPO’s system which monitors its carbon footprint. 

“Our online operations continue to grow at pace as more customers choose to shop with us digitally, said Keiron Samways, Director of Warehousing – Transport & Distribution U&I at Boots. “[The partnership] ensures we’re well positioned to support our customers today and in the future.”

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BRC: 14m consumers witnessed retail crime last year

More than 14million UK consumers witnessed violence or abuse against retail workers last year, according to new BRC-Opinium data.

Over a fifth of the population (21%) saw incidents while shopping – rising to 32% in London. This represents a marginal drop of -2 percentage points year-on-year (from 23% in 2025).

Nearly a quarter of people (23%) also witnessed shoplifting, highlighting the scale of the issue facing UK retail stores, down just -1 percentage point compared to 2025. 

Retailers have spent an estimated £5billion fighting retail crime over the past five years, including CCTV, more security personnel, anti-theft devices and body worn cameras. 

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Co-op deploys VoCoVo headsets across 2,300 stores

Co-op will deploy headset technology across over 2,300 UK stores in a new five-year partnership with VoCoVo to improve colleague safety, simplify day-to-day operations and enhance CX.

Leveraging the headset solution is aimed at keeping colleagues connected at all times, promoting safety and streamlining communication across the shop floor.

By enabling instant interaction between stores and Co-op’s Support Centre, its teams can respond more quickly to customer needs, from answering enquiries to checking stock availability or managing parcel collections and online orders.

“As a convenience retailer, we are always exploring new and innovative ways to make improvements to the way we work and to make shopping quicker and easier for customers,” said David Tyas, Head of Retail Support Centre & Innovation at Co-op.

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RTS announces 2026 Innovation Awards finalists

The Retail Technology Show (RTS) has revealed the shortlist for its 2026 Innovation Awards, which celebrate standout solutions from across the event, which connects Europe’s most forward-thinking retailers and leading tech providers.

Every year, the RTS Innovation Awards highlight new and disruptive technologies that help brands break the mould, reshape retail operations or support the new capabilities driving retail businesses forward.

The 2026 shortlist includes:

🌟 Cloz
🌟 duvo.ai
🌟 Motorola Solutions
🌟 Ocasta
🌟 PervasID
🌟 ProGlove
🌟 Retail Advantage
🌟 Sony
🌟 Vusion
🌟 YOOBIC

Read more about the finalists here 👉 The Retail Technology Show reveals the shortlist for the 2026 Innovation Awards.

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JD.com launches its Joybuy platform in the UK

JD.com launched Joybuy, its new online retail destination offering value-led, trusted brands with fast fulfilment, across the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, France, Belgium and Luxembourg earlier this week.

Featuring global brands, Joybuy offers exclusive, value-led promotions and products across categories, such as consumer tech, beauty, groceries and homeware.

Rapid fulfilment is a key part of its offering, with its Double 11 delivery service (free on £29+ orders) allowing customers to buy by 11am and receive their goods by 11pm on the same day across select cities and towns.

“British shoppers have long had to settle for a trade-off between price and speed, often paying a premium to get their orders more quickly,” said a spokesperson for Joybuy. “With Joybuy, same-day delivery isn’t a luxury; it’s standard for millions of households.”

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Ellis Brigham enlists Ingrid for delivery experience overhaul

Ellis Brigham has partnered with Ingrid to improve fulfilment speed, personalise delivery options and build brand-rich engagement into post-purchase experiences.

Deploying Ingrid enhanced Ellis Brigham’s delivery experience at the checkout with clear and defined fulfilment timelines across all shipping options, with real-time stock visibility powering accurate pick-up times for Click-and-Collect orders. 

Post-purchase, Ingrid enabled proactive parcel tracking, allowing Ellis Brigham to build brand-owned engagement while keeping shoppers updated with real-time communication from order confirmation to delivery drop-off.

“By overhauling delivery and underpinning its fulfilment operations with intelligence, Ellis Brigham’s post-purchase experiences now mirror the curated, personalised and brand-rich encounters shoppers receive in-store,” said Piotr Zaleski, CPTO and Co-Founder of Ingrid.

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Grocery shopping fragments with K-shaped consumer demand

The K-shaped economy is accelerating a ‘two-speed’ grocery market, as UK shoppers diverge across discount dependent spending and premium grocery demands, according to the latest research from shelf-edge communications platform, Pricer.

Original research of 1,000 shoppers shows cost-of-living pressures have made price vigilance mainstream, with 78% now more price conscious compared to a year ago, while three quarters (74%) actively seek discounts and promotions.

At the same time, premium grocery formats are seeing growing demand among higher earners, with 91% of shoppers earning £125k+ now choosing to shop more at premium or upmarket supermarkets.

“There is no longer a single grocery market moving in one direction,” said Finn Wikander, Chief Product Officer at Pricer. “Retailers are now serving two very different shopper mindsets at the same time, one focused on affordability, the other on quality, transparency and convenience.”

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