From Ann Summers adding lockers to its fulfilment offering, to Morrisons giving its More Card loyalty app a refresh and predictions for the busiest in-store shopping days of Peak Trading, what’s been making waves in retail this week?
Morrisons unveils More Card app refresh
Morrisons has given its More app a refresh, adding weekly personalised offers and a new smart shopping list feature, designed to make shopping easier and help customers get more value from their More Cards.
The new tailored offers give More Card app users “sharper, hyper-personalised offers”, with six offers personalised to their shopping habits added each week.
Gareth Lloyd, Value & Loyalty Marketing Director at Morrisons, said that the move “builds on what customers already love” and will make the app easier to navigate. “It’s all about ensuring our customers get maximum value and rewards tailored specifically to them,” he added.
As part of the refresh, Morrisons has also launched a new Shopping List feature, which lets customers scan an item’s barcode at home when they run out to add it to their list for their next shop. The app displays products on the list by aisle for easier navigation in-store.
This follows Sainsbury’s also launching a shopping list feature linked to its Nectar loyalty programme within its app earlier this month. Its SmartLists tool helps customers create shopping lists with photos or voice, locate products in-store via a Product Finder and manage budgets using Nectar Prices.
Ann Summers adds locker deliveries with InPost tie-up
Ann Summers will partner with InPost to offer customers more choice within delivery experiences, with a new service allowing them to choose 48-hour fulfilment to over 16,000 InPost lockers.
Offering another option alongside traditional home delivery, shoppers can now collect online orders to fit in with their lifestyles.
“Our partnership with InPost brings that same approach into another part of the shopping journey, giving customers greater freedom over how and where they receive orders,” said Maria Hollins, CEO of Ann Summers.
“Customers expect choice throughout the shopping journey, and delivery should be no different,” Jon Nicholson, Chief Commercial Officer at InPost UK, commented. “By adding InPost Locker delivery, Ann Summers is giving its customers greater freedom to choose the location and collection time that works best for them.”
Retail Trust announces partnership with SAI to cut retail crime
The Retail Trust has teamed up with SAI, the leading active intelligence solution for stores, which has become an official partner of the charity as part of SAI’s work to support retail workers’ safety and wellbeing.
The move underscores SAI’s ongoing commitment to creating safer store environments for colleagues and customers through innovation, education and cultural change.
“Our partnership will build on the help the Retail Trust is already providing to hundreds of retailers and people working across the industry to create happier and safer retail workplaces,” the Retail Trust’s Chief Exec, Chris Brook-Carter, said.
“We’ve long admired the work the Retail Trust does through the practical support it delivers and by championing colleague wellbeing,” Helen Wilde, Co-Founder and CCO of SAI, added. “This made partnering with them a natural step as we further our commitment to creating safer retail environments.”
The partnership comes as SAI prepares to launch its new Safer Stores initiative, which brings together diverse stakeholders – from major retailers to crime and justice bodies, rehabilitation groups and technology providers – in a shared mission to improve store safety.
MACH X | JD Sports’ Antonia Hansen on why failing fast is no longer enough
The need for retailers to “fail fast” in order to adapt to shoppers’ accelerating expectations isn’t a new concept; brands readily accept they need to test, learn and rapidly move on if an innovation is failing to deliver ROI.
But for retailers forging ahead in agentic commerce, failing fast may no longer be enough, according to JD Sports Fashion’s Antonia Hansen.
Speaking at MACH X: Amsterdam, she explained that in order to fail fast, you also have to be able to build fast.
As agentic commerce quickens the pace of change, she shared how JD is moving beyond simply experimenting with innovation to building the composable foundations that allow it to test, adapt and scale at speed – from virtual try-on to conversational agents and one-click AI payments.
Read the full session write up 👉 MACH X | JD Sports’ Antonia Hansen on why failing fast is no longer enough for agentic success.
Retailers face a £25bn bill to modernise legacy tech
Mounting innovation debt caused by legacy systems risks preventing retailers from investing in the modernisation needed to drive performance, a new study by global commerce technology leader, PMC, reveals.
New research in the ‘Winning The Race To Unified Commerce’ report, conducted in partnership with Retail Economics, suggests UK retailers would need to invest an additional £25billion to modernise their core systems – equivalent to 5.3% of annual revenues – highlighting the scale of the tech debt now holding back transformation.
“The scale of this modernisation bill underscores just what retailers are up against,” commented Rich Lowe, CEO of PMC. “However, behind the headline cost lies significant opportunity – and, with the right systems, people and partners in place, retailers can unpick those complexities, stitch by stitch, and turn a cost burden into a strategic driver of growth.”
B&Q expands q-commerce with Deliveroo across 100 stores
B&Q will extend its Deliveroo partnership to more than 100 stores nationwide, as it looks to expand the ways it can deliver convenience to customers.
Shoppers can now access over 9,000 home improvement products through the q-commerce platform, with orders delivered in as little as 35 minutes.
As part of its fulfilment service expansion, B&Q has also partnered with on-demand courier platform, Gophr, to enhance its collection options for TradePoint, allowing two hour deliveries or a pre-booked two-hour slot same-day for TradePoint members.
“The launch of TradePoint Express and the expansion of Deliveroo to more than 100 stores are important steps in giving both trade and retail customers greater flexibility through a range of delivery options designed to suit different project needs,” said Amélie Gallichan-Todd, Supply & Logistics Director at B&Q.
Saturday of BFCM set to be busiest footfall day of Peak 2026
The Saturday after Black Friday (28 Nov 2026) is predicted to be the biggest day for Peak Trading store visits, followed by Boxing Day (26 Dec 2026) and Super Saturday, the last Saturday before Christmas (19 Dec 2026), according to new forecasts from Sensormatic Solutions.
The Saturday of the Black Friday weekend is expected to replace Super Saturday as the top busiest in-store shopping day of Peak Trading, a position held by Super Saturday for the last three consecutive years.
Promotional sensitivity and savvy shopping have been attributed to the rise in prominence of the BFCM in expected footfall performance during the Golden Quarter.
Sensormatic’s poll found 43% of shoppers plan to focus gift spending around promotional periods to maximise value for money and make their budgets work harder. Two-thirds (67%) also plan to spend more time hunting for deals, leading to a more considered, conversion-ready shopper in-store.
“Most purchase journeys now start online, meaning shoppers arrive with a clear idea of what they want in mind and choose retailers they trust to deliver that product with a seamless experience to match,” Andy Sumpter, Head of Consulting & Analytics at Sensormatic Solutions, explained.
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