Do you like numbers? Do you like retail systems news? Then this is the article for you.

£274 billion…To mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day, eBay UK has announced it will be the headline sponsor of this year’s Purple Tuesday on 2nd November.

It notes that in the UK the ‘Purple Pound’ is worth £274 billion and yet many retailers are failing to capture this market due to inaccessible websites or stores.

£726 million…Profits at Royal Mail have soared as the coronavirus pandemic drove a surge in demand for online deliveries.

Pretax profits jumped to £726 million in the 12 months to the end of March, up from £180 million the previous year. Adjusted operating profit, meanwhile, rose to £702 from £325 million.

267,141…Resolver, a UK-based customer issue resolution service, has revealed what 900,000 people complained about during the coronavirus outbreak. 

Online shopping dominated the research with 267,141 complaints, up 138% on the previous year. 

1…English Premier League champions, Manchester City, are marking their title winning campaign with the launch of a series of commemorative digital artwork, the ‘1’ collection, which will be available for purchase as Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs).

This will be the first ever time a Premier League champion has dropped an NFT (a digital asset and collectible, the authenticity, rarity, scarcity, ownership etc of which is independently guaranteed, verified, and secured on blockchain tech), to celebrate a title win. 

$15 billion…Fast fashion e-commerce venture Shein has moved past Amazon to become the most downloaded shopping app on iOS and Android in the US, according to data from App Annie.

The China-based startup, which is reportedly valued at more than $15 billion, mainly focuses on women's wear, although it also offers men's apparel, children's clothes, accessories, shoes, bags and other fashion items. 

6%…UK retail footfall was somewhat underwhelming on the first day of indoor hospitality reopening on Monday, 17th, according to Sensormatic Solutions.

Its research, based around 40 billion shopper visits each year, showed that UK traffic fell -6% week-on-week on Monday, with poor weather blamed for keeping people away. 

4…Amazon has opened an Amazon Fresh location in Canary Wharf, London.

It’s the fourth such convenience store to feature Just Walk Out Shopping tech in the UK, which was pioneered at the Amazon Go offering in the States.

The other three are in Ealing, Wembley Park and White City.

$15 million…Homzmart, a Middle East-based furniture and home goods marketplace platform, has closed a $15 million Series A funding round.

$3 billion…Merchant commerce platform Pine Labs has announced the first close of a $285 million funding round, pushing its valuation to $3 billion.

£237 million…Back Market, an online marketplace dedicated to refurbished electronics, has announced a Series D round of £237 million led by General Atlantic.

This also had the support of Generation Investment Management, as well as existing investors Aglaé Ventures, Eurazeo, Goldman Sachs Growth Equity and daphni.

72.5% of online shoppers are likely or very likely to stop recommending a retailer following a poor delivery experience. That’s according to research from Circuit, involving 1,000 people.

$24 million…Live video shopping specialist Bambuser has bought marketing technology company Relatable for approximately $24 million. 

200…Costa Coffee has partnered with InstaVolt to install pay as you go electric vehicle chargers at up to 200 of the retailer’s drive-thru sites across the UK. 

$8 million…Mamo, a Dubai-based digital wallet and payments venture, has raised $8 million in its a pre-Series A funding round.

This was led by Global Ventures, and also included the likes of 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital.

10,000 and 55,000…Amazon UK says it will create more than 10,000 new permanent jobs in 2021, taking its total UK workforce to 55,000+ people by the end of year.

This will include roles at its corporate offices, Amazon Web Services (AWS) and operations network, with the online retail giant set to open new fulfilment centres in Hinckley, Dartford, Gateshead and Swindon this year, and a parcel receive centre in Doncaster.

$28.9 billion…Funding for retail technology tripled to $28.9 billion in the first quarter of 2021 from the same period last year, according to research by CB Insights.

This is its fastest run rate in five years as retailers prepare for a post-pandemic world.

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