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

$6.5 million CAD…Conversational commerce tech venture Heyday AI has extended its seed round by $6.5 million CAD ($5.1 million USD). 

This was led by returning investors Innovobot and Desjardins Capital. The startup has raised approximately $8.5 million CAD to date.

Heyday has also been selected by Lacoste as its global chat and customer messaging provider. Other clients include Decathlon and Bestseller (Jack & Jones, Vero Moda, Bestseller).

Two and a half…Marks and Spencer’s Marble Arch store (one of its largest locations in London) is to be redeveloped.

The new 10-storey building will include just two and a half floors of store space with several floors of offices and potentially leisure space such as a gym. It will have an arcade through its centre and space for 4,000 office workers on the higher floors.

60,000…Australian buy now, pay later specialist Zip has been selected by e-commerce platform BigCommerce as an Elite Partner.

This will see it provide digital payment options to BigCommerce’s network of more than 60,000 merchants globally.

124%…Global commerce search and discovery platform, Empathy.co, has reported record growth and a new hiring spree, with revenue increasing 124% over the last 12 months. 

69.5%…With a coronavirus lockdown still in place, and non essential physical retailers closed, UK e-commerce sales rose by 69.5% YoY in February, according to research from IMRG and Capgemini.

52…Russian food retailer, X5 Retail Group, has partnered with Sberbank and Visa to launch a ‘pay with a glance’ service at self-service checkout terminals.

Currently available at 52 Perekrestok supermarkets, this uses biometric identification based on X5's innovation lab technology and VisionLabs solutions.

17% and £8 million…A majority of e-commerce websites fail to deliver results when processing complex search queries, which account for 17% of all searches, causing £8 million of lost revenue, according to research from Klevu.

1%…After a bleak January sales performance and as the national coronavirus lockdown continued, February saw the mildest of upturns for the UK retail sector.

There was just 1% YoY total sales growth as high street stores across the country kept their doors closed, according to BRC/KPMG research.

$4.2 million…US-based robot delivery company Refraction AI has raised $4.2 million in new seed funding. 

46…M&S has launched 46 flagship websites in new markets, expanding its online reach to over 100 countries.

The launch is part of the retailer’s Never the Same Again transformation programme, and nearly doubles the number of international markets where it has a pureplay presence.

£100 million…UK takeaway delivery app, Foodhub, is looking to raise £100 million in private equity funds.

$70 million…Tax free shopping specialist Global Blue has acquired e-commerce returns management platform ZigZag Global.

The company, which is listed on the New York Stock Exchange, has raised $70 million via a private placement of common stock issued to new institutional investors to fully fund the deal. 

1…John Lewis & Partners has teamed with BNP Paribas for the launch of its first ever buy now, pay later offer online.

Customers can apply for at least £1,000 of credit with a maximum of £25,000 for 12 months. Credit for fitted rooms will amount to up to £35,000. 

$55 million…US retailer Kroger has opened an automated warehouse in Monroe, Ohio.

The $55 million, 335,000 square foot customer fulfilment centre, also known as a shed, is the first of 20 facilities to be created as part of a partnership between Kroger and Ocado.

$85 million…Canada-based mobile commerce startup Snapcommerce has raised $85 million in a funding round led by Inovia Capital and Lion Capital.

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