Deliveroo finally climbs into an annual profit: presenting the retail technology week in numbers
Do you like numbers? Do you like retail systems news? Then this is the article for you. Including Currys, BRC, SaySo, eBay, Avery Dennison, Thanks, Kroger, Decathlon, Circ, 3D Cloud, Vinted, and InPost.
£2.9 million...Deliveroo reported this week that it made a £2.9 million annual profit, compared to a £31.8 million loss in 2023. Revenue and orders rose 2% as the company expanded further to grocery deliveries.
Susannah Streeter, Head of Money and Markets, Hargreaves Lansdown, comments:‘’It’s been a long hard slog but Deliveroo has finally climbed the tough summit of reaching annual profitability. But it’s not going to be freewheeling from here and the uncertain economic environment points to a wobbly ride ahead."
"Deliveroo is selling its operations in Hong Kong, given the tough competition to focus on more profitable markets like the UK and Ireland. But that leaves the company that bit more exposed to this part of Europe’s economic climate. Growth is already highly sluggish in the UK, and there are concerns that the harsh global trade winds blowing could knock recovery off course."
She adds: "Cautious consumers may be less inclined to shell out on expensive takeaways, and although Deliveroo has expanded into grocery deliveries which offers more resilience, it’s not going to be an easy path ahead and there are plenty of rivals already in this space. Deliveroo faces a more powerful competitor in ’Just Eat Takeaway now that it’s been being gobbled up by Prosus to fulfil its ambitions to become a mega global platform in the consumer delivery and FinTech space."
"Prosus wants to get fingers in more pies where Uber has already found a sweet spot, eyeing up opportunity rights across the consumer-focused space. While consumers have become accustomed to easy delivery at the click of an app, Deliveroo is going to have to pedal hard to get its hands on the yellow jersey.’’
1,800...Currys reports that, starting this month, a proportion of every online sale of refurbished tech, across its mobile and computing categories, will go towards those living in digital poverty.
The retailer will be donating £1 of every refurbished phone or laptop sale online to the Digital Poverty Alliance (DPA). This comes following the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology's newly published Digital Inclusion Action Plan, backed by Currys.
As one of the Digital Poverty Alliance’s founding partners, Currys works with the DPA through its Tech4Families scheme, which helps vulnerable families in need by providing access to digital technology. So far, over 1,800 families have been provided a laptop via the initiative, thanks to Currys customers.
"We are thrilled to see the convergence of two of our strategic priorities: promoting the use of refurbished technology and raising funds to help tackle digital poverty. By supporting this cause, we are giving tech a longer life and also ensuring that more families have access to the tech they need. I am incredibly proud of the progress we have made and look forward to seeing the positive impact this initiative will have," says Paula Coughlan, Chief People, Communications and Sustainability Officer at Currys.
24% of the UK population have witnessed shoplifting taking place while at a store in the last 12 months. That is equivalent to over 16 million people seeing these events. That's according to the latest BRC-Opinium survey data.
This also shows 23% of customers have witnessed the physical or verbal abuse of shop staff. This can include racial or sexual abuse, physical assault or threats with weapons.
The research comes as the UK experiences record levels of retail crime with 20 million incidents of theft last year, and incidents of violence and abuse climbing to over 2,000 per day. Separately, Usdaw - the shopworkers’ union - have produced their own survey showing 77% of retail staff experiencing abuse, 53% threats, and 10% assault.
These incidents are not restricted to those working in stores: delivery drivers are often subjected to abuse, physical violence, and threats with weapons. As a result, many are being equipped with protective measures, such as personal safety devices to alert the police of their whereabouts, and DNA spit testing kits.
Crime cost retailers £4.2 billion last year. This includes £2.2 billion from shoplifting, and another £1.8 billion spent on crime prevention measures such as CCTV, more security personnel, anti-theft devices and body worn cameras. These costs add to the wider cost pressures retailers already face, further limiting investment and pushing up prices for customers everywhere.
$8.5 million...Mimo, a platform that aims to simplify global payments, cash flow, and financial management for SMBs and accountants, has raised $8.5 million of new investment, led by Project A.
Previous investors Northzone and Seedcamp return to participate in this round. Mimo has also arranged an embedded funding partnership with Froda, a SMB financing provider, enabling it to provide UK SMBs with $125 million+ in flexible working capital solutions over the coming years, with potential for pan-European scalability.
Mimo will deploy the new equity funding to continue to build out its B2B payments solution for SMBs and expand its headcount.
It was founded in 2023 by Henrik Grim (CEO), former General Manager of Europe at Capchase and Investment Manager at Northzone, Alexander Gernandt Segerby (CPO), and Andreas Meisingseth (CTO), all formerly of iZettle. It has offices in London and Stockholm.
Its platform is being used by businesses like protein breakfast brand Surreal, luxury mens- and womenswear brand Wales Bonner, and canned beans brand Bold Bean, as well as accounting firms supporting the SMB economy, like PM+M, TC Group and Green & Purple.
Against this backdrop, 66% of C-suite and operations leaders say they are confident or very confident that they can effectively mitigate the impact of geopolitical risks on their supply chain over the next five years, according to a survey of 600 global executives (across 12 sectors including retail and e-commerce) by Argon & Co.
The research points to a growing need for businesses to strengthen operational resilience, as growing geopolitical volatility associated with the United States, China, Russia, and the Middle East are reshaping supply chain and sourcing strategies.
Industries with complex, global supply chains and extensive experience in managing geopolitical disruptions exhibit higher confidence levels, including life sciences (83%), logistics (82%), and fashion (73%). Yet, these industries also face some of the most significant exposures to these risks, including increased costs due to tariffs and disruptions to shipping routes.
The relative lack of major disruptions over the past 12 months compared to the previous five years is fostering complacency, with just 25% of C-suite leaders citing geopolitical uncertainty as a major challenge impacting their operations over this period. However, intensifying trade tensions and protectionist policies means many leaders may be underestimating the scale of upcoming operational disruptions.
$4 million...SaySo has emerged from stealth and secured $4 million in seed funding, led by VC firm UP.Partners.
David Olk, former co-founder of cloud-based PoS ShopKeep, helped launch the venture, an end-to-end clearance solution and price optimisation platform.
"Retailers all say the same thing: clearance inventory drains cash, takes up valuable space, and limits ability to bring in new products,” Olk says. "Offloading clearance inventory may be the bane of any retailer's existence, but we try to make it as smooth as possible. Our solution helps them effortlessly offload excess inventory while still driving brand awareness and profits."
SaySo partners with retailers to create co-branded, interactive shopping experiences. The platform uses a gamified pricing model where item prices gradually drop over time, allowing shoppers to “name their price” while encouraging engagement and urgency.
Unlike traditional clearance methods, SaySo enables retailers to sell excess inventory directly from their warehouses and distribution centres. At the same time, the platform captures pricing insights from each transaction, helping retailers refine future pricing strategies and optimise margins.
70% and 39%...Now that we're in March, garden lovers across the UK are actively revamping their outdoor spaces - and this momentum is just beginning.
While cost and value remain front of mind for many, new eBay Advertising research (involving 2,003 Brits) shows that gardens are a priority. 70% of green fingered Brits surveyed plan to purchase items for their outdoor spaces this year, with 39% saying they’ll spend more this year than last.
And 46% of eBay shoppers say they’re more likely to purchase a garden item after seeing an advert, reinforcing the role of targeted promotions in driving sales.
With rising costs putting pressure on discretionary spending, some consumers are prioritising their gardens over leisure experiences. The research reveals that one in ten of those planning garden purchases are doing so instead of going on holiday.
57% of shoppers looking to refresh their outdoor spaces this year are preparing for spring and summer. 39% plan to spend more on their gardens than in the past one to two years, reflecting ongoing investment in home spaces despite financial pressures. This rises to 43% among eBay shoppers specifically.
25%..A new Avery Dennison report flags many fashion retailers struggling with serious item level visibility limitations.
The findings are based on a survey of 250 senior fashion retail supply chain leaders in the UK and US.
While half of those surveyed say their company has ‘visibility into most items’, 25% have ‘limited or no visibility’ at the item level in factories and distribution centres. The research also reveals that the supply chain is ‘highly problematic with regular disruptions’ for 30% of respondents, while only 22% categorise it as ‘efficient and responsive’.
Six in ten of the smaller companies, those with annual revenue between $1 million and $9.99 million, feel they have full visibility. Surprisingly, larger companies appear to be impacted the most by a lack of visibility, with only four in ten of firms with annual revenue above $1 billion believing they have a complete view.
Full visibility was found to be most challenging for medium sized retailers with only one in ten of the $250 million-$499 million revenue cohort saying they had achieved this. Only six out of the 250 companies surveyed (which were split into six different revenue categories) had ‘no visibility’.
$13 million...Kroger has announced the creation of a new e-commerce business unit, which aligns the teams contributing to every aspect of the online customer experience.
Yael Cosset, Kroger's Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, will lead this function as Executive VP and Chief Digital Officer.
"Accelerating our e-commerce growth is a top priority," says Ron Sargent, Kroger's Chairman and CEO. "As the architect of Kroger's digital strategy, Yael will continue to make it easier for customers to shop for our fresh, affordable food."
Kroger's e-commerce sales reached $13 billion in 2024.
Gregg London, a supply chain consultant, comments: “Both Kroger and Albertsons are trying to make up for "lost time" as a result of the merger fiasco. CEO changes, senior management changes, and more. While e-commerce is important, it seems like more of a "band aid" for faltering sales, and a "low cost" way of furthering customer loyalty. Will it work? Time will tell.”
$2.6 million...Ad network specialist Thanks has announced both $2.6 million in seed funding from venture firms Peak XV Partners, Founder Collective and Side Stage Ventures, alongside multinational partnerships with eBay and Zip.
“We’re all customers at the end of the day, and we all navigate - and often avoid - the constant bombardment of ads. We built Thanks because we believe the relationship between advertisers and customers should be rewarding, but it must be delivered in a way that respects the customer and adds value to their day,” says Steven Tesoriero, Co-CEO and Co-founder at Thanks.
$25 million...Textile-to-textile recycling specialist, Circ, has closed its latest ($25 million) investment round led by Taranis through its Carbon Ventures fund, with continued support from existing strategic investors, including fashion retailer Inditex, and Avery Dennison, a materials science and digital identification solutions company.
This takes the total raised to date to over $100 million.
“This chapter of our journey - scaling textile recycling to an industrial level - requires that we build on our proven technology with world class engineering, operations, and strategic investment from mission-aligned partners,” says Peter Majeranowski, CEO at Circ. “Taranis brings exactly that. Their industrial expertise, paired with our innovation, positions Circ to accelerate the transition to a circular fashion economy.”
3,600...Research from national charging network Be.EV and sporting goods retailer Decathlon shows that EV drivers are more likely to hit the gym than their petrol and diesel counterparts.
The survey of over 3,600 Decathlon shoppers found that EV drivers were more likely to do cardio intensive sports than their petrol and diesel counterparts, such as swimming (57% vs 52%), running (51% vs 46%) and cycling (69% vs 61%).
The survey also showed that EV drivers are more likely to be adrenaline junkies as well, with them listing several sports as hobbies that no petrol or diesel driver respondent named, such as skydiving, cold water swimming and CrossFit.
The research comes as Be.EV launches its new 16-bay ultra-rapid charging hub at Decathlon Wednesbury at Gallagher Retail Park. The chargers at the site can deliver up to 165 miles of range in a 20-minute sto.
The ultra-rapid hub is one of the biggest sites of its kind at any retail park in the Black Country. Gallagher Retail Park is located just off J9 of the M6 - one of the UK’s busiest motorway junctions - with an average daily traffic flow of over 140,000 vehicles.
66%...New research from parcel lockers specialist, InPost, reveals that while 66% of Brits say expressing love is their main reason for gifting, too many are put off by the hassle of traditional delivery methods, with millions of gifts going unsent each year because sending parcels is often expensive, inconvenient or unreliable.
The survey, involving 2,148 Brits, also showed that: Eight in ten of the UK public struggle with missed deliveries, making gift giving stressful and inconvenient; Within a normal week, at least one parcel delivery time is not suitable for two-thirds of the UK population; 93% of the UK public feel positive when they receive a gift.
With their partner and mother top of the list for sending gifts (52% and 45% respectively), and Mother’s Day just around the corner (Sunday 30th March), InPost is calling on the people of the UK to show appreciation and give generously as part of its ‘Send a Little Love” campaign.
1 and 2...Adam Jay, CEO at controversial fashion resale platform Vinted, has once again taken top spot in the Retail Disruptors & Innovators report, released today by Retail Technology Show.
This is an annual report championing progressive individuals from across the sector, who are driving seismic change across the retail landscape.
Jay holds on to his number one position for the second year in a row, for continuing to grow Vinted’s pre-loved marketplace at pace while simultaneously putting second hand and circular retail models back at the forefront of fashion.
He was followed by Carl Pei, Founder and CEO at Nothing, a challenger smartphone and tech brand that’s aiming to make tech and gadgets “fun again” in second place, while third place was shared by brothers and co-founding duo of performance sportswear brand, Castore.
Fashion performed strongly within the top ten disruptors, with high end DTC only fashion brand ME+EM’s Founder, Clare Hornby, coming in fourth, following expansion into the US and a first UK flagship store opened in London.
7.5 million...Currys has been winning plaudits of late for its organic social engagement strategy, with Brand & Marketing Director Dan Rubel taking to LinkedIn to "shout out the fab team that runs it."
In a post, Rubel focused on TikTok, noting that, "our main account lifetime likes has hit 7.5 million (with 2.3 million brought in over the last six months) - whilst competitors aren't in the same race (e.g. John Lewis at 0.8 million lifetime likes, Argos at 0.4 million lifetime likes)."
"There are other UK brands with brilliant TikTok engagement of course (Aldi UK, M&S Food, Lidl GB, Nando's UK & Ireland and Specsavers) and some of those have more lifetime TikTok likes vs. Currys (they got serious about social engagement before we did!).”
"But there's only one UK focused brand we can find that have brought in anywhere near as many likes as Currys over the last six months - that is those chicken lovers over at KFC UK & Ireland. Well done to that team....But most of all (as I am shamelessly biased in my heart)."
$1.6 million...Platter, an e-commerce technology startup, has raised $1.6 million in a pre-seed round.
Animal Capital led the investment with participation from Visionary Ventures, e-commerce veterans Ben Jabbawy, Kyle Hency, Aaron Spivak, Pierson Krass and others.
Platter was founded in 2021 by friends Ben Sharf, Kieran Derfus, and Michael Keenehan. With years of experience in the e-commerce industry, including agency, consulting, and marketplace roles, they identified a common issue: building a high converting Shopify website was too expensive, complicated, and time-consuming for brands of all sizes.
While the company made its name building entire storefronts for Shopify brands, its latest launch offers optimisation tools to a wider set of customers. Platter+, available in the Shopify app store, allows brands to add product upsells, cross-sells, and social proof at their checkout and post-purchase pages in minutes.
“Ben Sharf and the Platter team have thoughtfully created a holistic product offering for e-commerce businesses that makes it simpler, easier, and more intuitive to manage your storefront and maximise profitability,” says Marshall Sandman, Managing Partner at Animal Capital.
These are available to buy on Amazon, with free, fast delivery promised for all customers on noses and official merchandise from the Comic Relief store.
The merchandise is inspired by the past four decades as Comic Relief marks its 40th birthday year, with items including a 90s inspired bucket hat, collectable pin badges, phone cases, umbrellas, and dog bandanas.
Other products include ‘byAmazon’ Jelly Babies, Fizzy Mini Pencils, tissues, and kitchen roll, with a portion of the proceeds from each product going to Comic Relief to help tackle some of the urgent problems faced by people here in the UK and around the world.
"We are enormously proud to be supporting Comic Relief’s 40th birthday appeal in our third year as the official home of the Red Nose,” says John Boumphrey, UK Country Manager at Amazon. "Being the home of the Red Nose is just one of the ways our team at Amazon is supporting this year - our Comic Relief store includes noses and merchandise to raise vital funds, and our colleagues are creating and taking part in fundraising activities right across the country. Every nose helps to change lives, and we’ll be wearing ours with pride on Red Nose Day."
45%...Hybrid shopping has become the dominant path to furniture purchases, according to 3D Cloud’s Furniture Shopping Trends Study, 2025, conducted in partnership with Provoke Insights.
The research, involving 400 furniture purchasers, found that 45% now engage with both digital and in-store channels, reinforcing the need for a seamless omnichannel experience. At the same time, the percentage of consumers shopping exclusively online has increased, particularly among females, while in-store only shopping continues to decline.
“The shift in shopping behaviours underscores the growing reliance on digital experiences,” says Carly Fink, President and Head of Research at Provoke Insights. “Retailers must ensure they are delivering engaging, seamless, and intuitive digital experiences that enhance both online and in-store journeys. Consumers want the best of both worlds - the convenience of online shopping and the tactile confidence of in-store visits.”
Topline results from the study include:
● 45% shopped both online and in-store; 62% of Millennials shopped both channels
● 26% growth in online only shopping
● 46% of shoppers visited websites first before purchasing in a store
● 58% of shoppers want more help with furniture visualisation when visiting stores
● 86% are satisfied with either traditional photos or 3D images, as long as they represent the real product
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