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Articles by Sarah WardGemma Ryder
Trade Fund Management
More from Supplier Collaboration AI (Artificial Intelligence) | Data Sheets Supply Chain Forecasting Datasheet Understanding the varying demand patterns caused by price, promotional and advertising effects is where the Retail Express forecasting platform excels and is crucial to accurately forecasting future demand. Learn how our solution tracks changes in demand from regular prices, promotions, ads, displays etc. and can accurately forecast the effects of those changes.
Retail Express Booklet
Retail Express Booklet Retail is evolving fast—and success now depends on smarter, more connected decision-making. Find out how Retail Express is helping modern retailers move beyond manual processes and fragmented systems, using AI-powered intelligence to plan, execute, and optimise every stage of their go-to-market strategy. From pricing and promotions to supplier collaboration and forecasting, discover how to unlock greater efficiency, visibility, and measurable growth across your business.
Foodlands Case Study
Foodland, one of Australia’s most trusted supermarket brands, partnered with Retail Express to modernise its promotional and category operations as the business faced increasing complexity and growing reliance on manual, legacy processes. With promotions, supplier negotiations and planning spread across multiple systems and workflows, Foodland set out to create a single, connected way of working across Grocery and Liquor.
Retail Express wins at the RTIH AI Awards
We’re proud to announce that Retail Express has been recognised at the prestigious RTIH AI Awards, being named a finalist in the Supplier of the Year category and taking home the coveted Editor’s Choice Award. The RTIH AI Awards celebrate innovation and excellence in the use of artificial intelligence across the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors.
5 Key tech trends affecting the retail sector in 2026
Retail Express, a leading provider of merchandising solutions and services for retail, shares its expert insights into some of the principal influences that will guide decision making in the year ahead. From the rise in electric shelf-edge labelling and the demise of the barcode to AI finding its equilibrium, technology’s influence on defining retail success will become deeply entrenched.
The emerald advantage: how technology is shaping the future of Irish retail
Summary: We look at a challenging retail landscape in Ireland and explore how technology can help grocery retailers build trust, stronger promotions, and process optimisations to secure a healthy and resilient future In the fluid Irish grocery market, retailers that make sound product merchandising choices have real potential to grow and win share. Kantar figures suggest take-home grocery sales in Ireland grew 6.5% year-on-year in early 2025.
Retail’s Journey to AI: Step towards a smarter future in retail
Download our complete guide to shape a strategic roadmap to AI in retail and gain critical advantages in efficiency, customer experience, and market competitiveness. Retail is no stranger to transformation – but it is in the midst of a shift like none before. The move to data-first, AI-driven technologies offers the insight and foresight retailers have long been looking for – and changes the retail formula from reactive to proactive.
AI pricing: the first step to securing the future of retail
= Summary: Ed Betts highlights the importance of a transition to rules-based pricing and the benefits that retail price optimisation software can bring to retailers struggling to keep up. The retail landscape feels more chaotic than ever. The tariffs debacle has only added to the existing uncertainty with the markets and supply chains now more unstable than ever. Against such pressure, traditional retailing techniques are proving less effective and more difficult to maintain.
Delivering excellence for retail with AI at #RTS2025
= Summary: AI has changed the game. Retail Express to showcase next generation AI tools at The Retail Technology Show to help retailers buy smarter and create a customer experience like no other. Standing out in today’s fast-paced retail environment requires agility, precision, and the ability to outpace the competition, even when dealing with the constant balancing act of pricing, inventory, promotions, and managing supplier relationships.
The real and current opportunities of artificial intelligence in retail
= Summary: With the UK’s AI Opportunities Action Plan taking shape, Ed Betts addresses some questions about retail AI solutions and why there’s no reason for retailers to wait to begin their AI journey. 1. How can AI turbocharge retail and what are the benefits? Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative AI, tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek, have attracted a lot of press attention. The problem is that the coverage they get only paints half of the picture of AI.
Put the AI into Retail - Unlock a smarter future in 2025
= Summary: Struggling to keep pace with modern retailing? Retail is a fast-paced, ever-changing landscape but Ed Betts explains a better way of doing things that will make all the difference in the year ahead… Retail success demands more than meeting customer expectations. It requires agility, precision, and a competitive edge both on the shop floor and in the back office.
Stay ahead of Golden Quarter planning curveballs
= Summary: The Golden Quarter is a difficult and stressful time, but AI-driven retailing can ease the pressure. Ed Betts explains that through data and algorithmic analysis, retailers can drive strategic and tactical benefits which lead to bigger profits – those that don’t will be left behind The Golden Quarter is a pressure pot of planning. The 100-day countdown to Christmas encompasses the majority of the year’s key fixed seasonal events and aligns with retail’s most critical planning window.
Retail Express is proud to sponsor Horsforth St. Margarets FC U7 Colts
Retail Express is proud to announce that it is sponsoring the Under 7s Boys Colts team at Horsforth St Margarets football club. This partnership marks an exciting period in Retail Express’s ongoing commitment to promoting community spirit and encouraging healthy, active lifestyles by supporting local organisations. “We are thrilled to support Horsforth St Margarets football club under 7 Colts” said CEO, Barry Grange.
Retail Express Partners with Foodland Supermarkets Australia to Revolutionise Retail Operations
Adelaide, Australia – Retail Express, a leader in retail technology solutions, is excited to announce a long-term partnership with Foodland Supermarkets Australia. This strategic alliance aims to empower Foodland’s Buying, Marketing and Analytics teams through advanced system automation, driving innovation and integrated insights.
AI the key to navigating retail compliance fluidly and with agility
= Summary: Ed Betts says retailers must build the agility found in intelligent merchandising to get ahead of regulatory pressure and market fluctuations before it is too late. Is your retail business future ready? Major political shifts, changes in legislation, economic uncertainty, and the difficulty of convincing cautious customers to spend: it’s a difficult landscape. Changing market dynamics must be met head on if retailers are going to plot a safe route through what lies ahead.
Retail Express Solution Booklet
Retail Express Solution Booklet Learn how the Retail Express solution can drive profits & revenues, increase customer engagement and radically improve efficiency. More from Uncategorised Category Management | Press Release Retail Express announces RE 2.0 17th October 2012 | 2 min read Leeds UK – Retail Express Retail Express would like to announce the launch of RE 2.0, the second-generation product to replace AMP2.
Stronger supplier engagement through AI tools
= Summary: Ed Betts explains that the time to reach for advanced tools is now – and the opportunity to optimise retail processes does not have to be disruptive or difficult Managing supplier interactions can be a minefield. Each vendor comes with different demands and expectations; every product line, promotion and media campaign stretches retail teams further.
Retail Express Announces New Team to Support Business Expansion in Australia and New Zealand
Retail Express, the UK-based international provider of AI-driven Pricing, Promotions, Supplier Collaboration, and Category Management software, is thrilled to announce the formation of a new team as part of its ongoing expansion into Australia and New Zealand. This strategic move comes in response to the company’s significant growth and the increasing demand for its innovative solutions.
Redefining supplier relationships: the importance of analysis and automation in retail
= Summary: Ed Betts discusses the potential for retailers to lose sight of their supplier interactions – and argues that it is time for a change of perspective and technique. Retailers sit between the economic forces of supply and demand. Profit is found in the balance between the pull of customers’ needs and the push of supplier priorities. But getting there is a chaotic, difficult process with many moving parts.
Investment in tech now critical to retail in 2024 as inflation continues to fall
Trade promotions driving down prices to compete for cash-strapped shoppers could cause retailer-supplier acrimony down the line without process automation, warns Retail Express. “Fierce” competition for cash-strapped shoppers among retailers was cited by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) in February 2024 as one of the main reasons for the BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index showing its lowest reading since March 2022[1].
Retail Express Announces Expansion into the Australian Market to Support Growth
Retail Express, the UK-based international provider of AI-driven Pricing, Promotions, Supplier Collaboration, and Category Management software, is proud to announce its strategic expansion by establishing a physical presence in Australia. Over the past four years, Retail Express has been the trusted software provider behind MetProms, the Metcash Grocery Promotion Planning and Supplier Negotiation solution utilised by Metcash and over 1,000 FMCG Suppliers.
Digital transformation unpacked: why true change comes from within
25th January 2024| 4min read = Summary: Ed Betts explores the ways digital transformation can lead retailers to new horizons and help them get the edge in a crowded, competitive market. With the effects of inflation waning[1], 2024 offers retailers a chance to breathe. Retailers must now look forensically at their business processes to find efficiency and alignment to protect themselves against future financial crises.
Retail Express wins Best Intelligent Merchandising Platform 2023
Innovation in Business is delighted to unveil the winners of this year’s Technology Innovator Awards, and pleased to announce that Retail Express has won Best Intelligent Merchandising Platform 2023. With such brilliant waves of innovation rippling through every industry, it’s always inspirational to take note of those acting as a leading light for a plethora of developments.
Top 5 Retail Trends & Priorities 2024
22nd November 2023 | 5 min read = Summary: Building agility and resilience in a recovering market – 2024 is the year to create new opportunities, stronger systems, and the ability to react fast to a market liable to change, by Ed Betts = Recent headlines point to market improvement, but retailers understand that reality, for most, has not yet fully caught up. The rate of inflation is declining, but unlikely to reach a target of 2% before at least 2025.
Fight inflation with algorithmic retailing: a strategy for growth in a difficult market
1st November 2023 | 3 min read = Summary: Ed Betts explains the power of big data, and how AI-driven strategies can offer the insights required to be agile in an ever-changing landscape = Inflation remains a huge problem for consumers reticent to spend and retailers struggling to stay afloat. While the rate of inflation is in slight decline, it is still more than three times the BoE’s 2% target.
Consistency makes compliance: meeting regulatory pressure through AI
19th October 2023 | 5min read = Summary: Ed Betts highlights the increasing levels of legal obligation faced by retailers and the path to ensuring compliance without failing customers = Retail pricing is an area that often comes under significant scrutiny. The cost-of-living crisis has brought the effects of inflation into sharp focus for consumers and puts pricing once again in the spotlight. The potential for profiteering and ‘greedflation’ has attracted significant press attention.
Transforming Supplier Collaboration Whitepaper
Transforming Supplier Collaboration Whitepaper The Digital Transformation of Supplier Collaboration The value of real-time operationally collaborative merchandising for retail More from Uncategorised AI (Artificial Intelligence) | Blog Viewpoint: ONS reports a 0.5% drop in retail sales in GB in May ’22 5th July 2022 | 2 min read By Ed Betts, UKI General Manager Last week’s news from the ONS highlighted the continuing impact of inflation with a fall of 0.5% in retail sales figures in May 2022.
The Golden Quarter: Perfect promotions through intelligent merchandising
28th September 2023 | 4min read = Summary: Ed Betts explains why this year’s Golden Quarter will be even tougher than the last and how AI-driven merchandising can help retailers thrive as inflation and interest rates bite hard = The 100-day countdown to Christmas is the busiest period in the retail calendar, and unquestionably the most challenging. This year’s Golden Quarter will likely be one of the most difficult in recent memory.
Category Management Datasheet
Category Management Datasheet More from Uncategorised Category Management | Press Release Sales Analytics 16th September 2016 | 1 min read Retail Express is pleased to announce the extension of its Category Management / Merchandise Management solution with the provision of SALES, PROFIT & VOLUME Analytics with a series of new facilities that provides on demand ABC Analysis for Sales, Profit, Unit Volumes and Margin with YEAR TO YEAR RANKINGS by FORMAL ABC Structures or customized on demand...
Availability Vs inventory: One plan to rule them all
= Summary: Ed Betts considers the importance of a central planning platform and AI-driven forecasting to ensure seasonal event success = 21st August 2023 | 4min read The retail calendar year is a busy one. Whether fixed seasonal events or one-offs such as sporting occasions, the industry plays a pivotal role in setting the tone, creating the ambience and making every moment memorable.
Intelligent Merchandising Datasheet
Intelligent Merchandising Datasheet More from Uncategorised Assortment | Press Release Gartner 2014 Optimization Guide 4th December 2014 | 1 min read Retail Express Chosen by Gartner Research for Inclusion in 2014 Market Guide for Unified Price Optimisation Leading Price Optimisation solution highlighted by Gartner Leeds UK – Nov 19, 2013 – Retail Express has been selected by Gartner research to be included in their latest market report “Market Guide for Unified Price, Promotions and Markdown...
Refocus on promotional mix over price to win back customer loyalty
By Ed Betts, General Manager – Retail Lead Europe at Retail Express Grocery price inflation has hit a record high, resulting in the prediction that households will face an extra £788 on their annual shopping bill[1]. Worried customers have already made adjustments to shopping patterns and cut back spending.
Retail Express listed as a Sample Vendor in the Gartner Market Guide for Retail Assortment Management Applications: Long Life Cycle Products - December 2022 - Retail Express Ltd
Retail Express was recognized among a shortlist of vendors in the 2022 report. December 2022 – Retail Express, a leading provider of merchandising solutions, today announced that it has been identified as a Sample Vendor in the Gartner Market Guide for Retail Assortment Management Applications: Long Life Cycle Products – December 2022.
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