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

€2.6 million…Silverflow, an Amsterdam-based online card payments platform founded by Adyen alums, has announced a €2.6 million seed funding round, led by Crane Venture Partners.

500…Co-op has partnered with retail tech startup Gophr to launch a same day delivery service from its 50+ stores in Scotland.

487…Amazon Prime members can now place Whole Foods Market orders online and get free, one-hour pickup (for purchases of $35 or more) at all the retailer’s 487 US locations.

72p…Royal Mail is now collecting parcels and mail from people's homes as it tries to capitalise on a rise in online shopping which has been accelerated by the coronavirus crisis.

This will cost 72p per parcel, in addition to postage costs. The service is also available for pre-paid return items at 60p per item.

13…TapSimple is supplying Lidl GB with its Clip product to help the retailer’s NSPCC fundraising efforts during the coronavirus pandemic. The contactless devices are being placed in 13 of the retailer’s distribution centres.

12…Alibaba Group has held a kick off media event for this year’s 11.11 Global Shopping Festival (aka Singles’ Day).

The e-commerce giant announced that, for the first time, it will bring the event, now into its 12th year, to audiences outside China through a series of livestreamed events, each to be held from 16:00 to 17:30 CET/15:00 to 16:30 GMT on 10th and 11th November. 

31% of Brits are less likely to now shop in physical stores due to positive online experiences during the coronavirus pandemic, according to research from Adyen. 

$7.5 million…Australian cashierless AI shopping technology venture Tiliter has completed a $7.5 million capital raise, led by Investec Emerging Companies (IEC).

61%…UK card use rose from 54% of transactions in 2016 to 61% in 2019, according to research from the British Retail Consortium.

This trend has accelerated under the coronavirus pandemic, with more customers shopping online or paying by card in-store.

26 million…PayPal customers will from early 2021 be able to use cryptocurrencies to shop at the 26 million merchants on its network.

10…Whole Foods Market has released its top 10 anticipated food trends for 2021 in the retailer’s sixth annual trends predictions.

300…Paperless receipts and digital rewards startup Flux has announced a partnership with H&M.

The deal marks the FinTech venture’s first foray into clothing and apparel and sees its solution available at over 300 H&M UK stores.

$3.6 billion…Alibaba Group is to stump up around $3.6 billion to take a controlling stake in Sun Art, one of China’s largest big box and supermarket chains. After the transaction is complete, it will own 72% of Sun Art.

$30 million…US-based autonomous store technology venture, AiFi, has bagged additional funding from Qualcomm Ventures, existing investors Cervin Ventures and TransLink Capital, and newbie Plum Alley. This brings its total funding amount to $30 million. 

5.1%…Boden reports a 5.1% lift to incremental revenue during Q1 2020, plus a conversion rate increase of 2.6x from shoppers using True Fit, a personalisation platform for apparel and footwear retailers, on its site.

100…Geek Retreat is set to open 100 new stores on UK high streets over the next two years, creating around 600 jobs.

11,120...A record number of shops shut their doors during the first half of 2020 as the coronavirus lockdown hit retailers hard, research from the Local Data Company and PwC shows.

A total of 11,120 chain operator outlets closed between January and August, research from the Local Data Company and accountancy firm PwC revealed.

$12 million…Chiper, an e-commerce platform pitched at the Latin American corner store market, has announced a $12 million Series A round featuring WIND Ventures, Monashees and Kaszek Ventures. 

£400 million…John Lewis Partnership Chair Sharon White has set out her plans for the department store and Waitrose grocery business.

This includes the company, which has been shuttering stores in recent times, reaching profits of £200 million in the next two years and £400 million by 2025, and expansion of digital, virtual and delivery services.

10…New research from Brightpearl reveals UK online ventures’ top ten planned tech investments for 2021.

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