Do you like numbers? Do you like retail systems news? Then this is the article for you. Including Boots, Amazon Style, HelloFresh, Zippin, Ocado Group, Lidl UK, Kroger, and IBM.

200,000…Boots has partnered with RangeMe to expand the number of new and diverse suppliers it works with on a goods for resale basis both in-store and online.

With over 200,000 suppliers already registered on the platform, the retailer hopes that the RangeMe tie up will be a portal to working with the very best new and emerging brands.

86%, 85%, 78% and 76%…Discount and value retailers are more confident of a strong trading performance this quarter than mid-range and high-end stores, according to research from Barclays Corporate Banking.

This is based on a survey conducted by Censuswide among 2,006 UK consumers, and 600 UK senior managers in retail businesses who have at least one physical store.

When asked if they are confident of growth before the end of the year, 86% of discount retailers said that they are, followed by 85% of value brands, with high value (78%) and mid-range (76%) merchants further behind.

300…NewStore has announced the launch of its 2023 Omnichannel Leadership Report.

In its eighth edition, the company audited the omnichannel capabilities of 300 luxury, premium, and lifestyle retail brands in North America.

5…Happy birthday to us…Retail Technology Innovation Hub is five years old this month!

2…Amazon is continuing its excursion into physical fashion retail.

The company has opened a second Amazon Style store, with the aim of combining the personalisation of e-commerce with the immediacy of bricks and mortar shopping.

This is located at Easton Town Center in Columbus, Ohio.

Amazon debuted the concept earlier this year at The Americana at Brand, in Glendale, California.

6…As basketball season gets underway, Zippin has announced six new stores powered by its tech in NBA arenas this autumn.

Toyota Center, home to the Houston Rockets, recently launched two checkout-free stores ahead of the season opener on 21st October, and Gainbridge Fieldhouse closes out the final phase of uts “Fieldhouse of the Future” renovations with two more frictionless shopping locations, giving Pacer fans four shops to choose from.

Capital One Arena added two Zippin Lanes in October as well, making Zippin the platform behind one out of four professional basketball arenas nationwide.

49% of Generation-Zs say in-store shopping makes them feel anxious, according to M-Cube which surveyed 250 18-24 year olds in the UK.

$50 million…Saudi Arabia-based e-commerce specialist Zid has raised $50 million in a Series B funding round led by IMPACT46 with participation from new investors, Aramco venture capital arm (Waed Ventures) and Endeavour Catalyst.

$32 million and $67 million…Ambi Robotics has announced $32 million in additional funding.

Existing investors Tiger Global and Bow Capital are joined by Ahren and the company’s strategic partner, Pitney Bowes. The cash will fuel the deployment growth of AI powered parcel sorting systems.

Total funding to date stands at $67 million. 

8%…Many global consumers are ready to celebrate the holidays again and will be shopping earlier than in years past, according to research from IBM. However, as a wider set of economic and political issues took centre stage this past year, new risks, and uncertainty loom over their plans.  

The company surveyed more than 12,000 adults across nine countries (Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Mexico, Spain, United Kingdom, United States) in August. 

It found that 2022 shopping budgets are up 8% over 2021, and holiday travel budgets are up by almost half.

116 million…Recipe box company, HelloFresh, has launched in Ireland, building upon its debut in Japan during April.

Founded in Berlin in November 2011 and listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange since November 2017, the firm launched in the UK in 2012 and delivered over 116 million meals to UK customers in 2021.

8 million…A wave of doorstep parcel theft is sweeping the UK, according to a new report commissioned by Penn Elcom, a British steel manufacturer and producer of the Penn Parcel Box, and sponsored by delivery management platform for e-commerce retailers, Scurri.

For this, YouGov surveyed samples of 2,000 random consumers in the UK, US, the UAE, Canada and Australia.

More than eight million parcels were lost or stolen between May 2021 and April 2022, with the UK having the largest increase in this area compared to other countries.

The UK saw a 5% rise in the previous 12 months, costing UK customers £320 million in missing goods.

$10 million…CoolR Group, a US-based specialist in automated ordering for brands using AI-based image recognition, has announced a $10 million round led by long-term VC investor First Analysis.

14…Beauty essentials and healthcare products from Boots can now be found on Uber Eats, offering rapid delivery to customers’ doors.

The retailer has kicked off a pilot in 14 of its stores around the UK, with 13 of those giving people within range access to third-party doorstep delivery of its products for the very first time.

Uber Eats customers within range of participating Boots stores can choose from more than 900 products, including toiletries, medicines for minor ailments, food and drink options, and beauty and gifting options.