News Briefs

Ahold Delhaize will open a new technology studio in Bucharest, Romania, called AD/01.

The studio plans to hire around 250 employees in the coming years to work on innovations that will advance the customer experience across Ahold Delhaize’s European brands, including Albert Heijn, Etos, Delhaize, Alfa Beta and Mega Image. 

The retail giant said in a statement that AD/01 will play a pivotal role in strengthening its digital, data and tech ecosystem and capabilities. The teams will focus on a range of areas, from web and app development to joining and initiating strategic projects in e-commerce, infrastructure, data, loyalty, core retail and beyond. 

“As part of our tech ambitions, we focus on providing seamless digitally enabled experiences, whether in-store down the aisles, at the checkouts or behind the scenes,” Wouter Kolk, CEO Ahold Delhaize Europe and Indonesia, said in the statement. “With the evolving needs of our customers come new challenges, which is why we are creating AD/01. This tech studio will bring together sharp minds to develop innovations that serve people today and tomorrow and serve all our European brands. In doing so we are also investing in the Romanian market, where we already operate through our local brand Mega Image.” 

AD/01 is currently onboarding the first of its new talent. The plan is to have around 250 employees within the next few years.

Sustainable packaging provider DS Smith has partnered with Bioenzymatic Fuel Cells (BeFC), a French startup that develops fully recyclable smart tags.

BeFC was created in 2020 with a goal to replace batteries with biofuel cells, according to a joint media release. Since then, BeFC has advanced its work in developing digital printed solutions that are recyclable.

DS Smith’s involvement is part of the company’s $124 million (100 million pounds) research and development (R&D) and innovation investment, announced in 2021, to accelerate its circular economy strategy and offer packaging that has less impact on the environment over five years. 

Together, DS Smith and BeFC will investigate smart packaging solutions made from recyclable paper to reduce waste, monitor quality and ensure supply chain efficiency during distribution and transportation, according to the release. More specifically, they’re focusing on:

• Product tracking: Embedding a bespoke sensing platform and data protocols in digital solutions, allowing for real-time monitoring of products and enhancing the consumer experience and supply chain.
• Reducing waste: Extending the shelf life of products and addressing waste by providing accurate information about freshness and expiration dates.
• Efficient transportation: Enabling better load optimization, reducing operational costs and the carbon footprint associated with shipping.

“Corrugated packaging together with smart tech has a huge potential to reduce waste across the supply chain, but we’re not quite where we need to be yet,” said Magnus Renman, group R&D director at DS Smith. “We need more smart solutions that tackle inefficiency, cost and, most importantly, carbon emissions. We’re excited to be addressing this challenge head-on with BeFC through innovative, circular solutions designed to slash losses and improve sustainability.”

“The DS Smith x BeFC collaboration is a great example of combining shared expertise and resources to tackle inefficiencies and reduce waste and carbon emissions in supply chains whilst also understanding and validating compatibility with relevant recycling streams,” added Dr. Jules Hammond, CEO and co-founder, BeFC.

In related news, in March, DS Smith launched a line of recyclable, reusable boxes for supermarkets that replaces plastic shopping bags, dubbed Shop.able Carriers. 

Celigo, an integration platform as a service (iPaaS) for both IT and business users, has partnered with TikTok Shop to provide retailers with post-purchase experiences and enhanced automation and scalability on the social platform. 

TikTok Shop enables brands and creators to showcase and sell products directly on TikTok through a suite of in-app shopping touchpoints, as well as manage things like shipping, fulfillment and point of purchase. The Celigo platform uses AI and prebuilt integrations to keep “mission-critical processes” running smoothly, per a media release from the company.

Celigo said this integration, dubbed the TikTok Shop Connector by Celigo, will help retailers streamline their operations, enhance visibility and elevate the shopping experience. The solution is designed to keep data current and synced across various applications, including product data management, order management, fulfillment and accounting. 

[ALSO READ: Brands Flock to TikTok Shop Amid Platform Headwinds]

A recent independent study commissioned by Celigo found that a quarter of all consumers surveyed use TikTok to research products before they buy. With TikTok's massive reach and engagement, Celigo says retailers can tap into a vast audience of potential customers and convert them into loyal buyers.

"Celigo is thrilled to join forces with TikTok Shop to address the growing social commerce landscape," Mark Simon, vice president of strategy at Celigo, said in the release. "This partnership will empower e-commerce businesses to integrate TikTok Shop across their tech stack for enhanced automation and scalability, ultimately empowering retailers to open a powerful new sales channel as well as provide a perfect shopper experience.”

This collaboration also provides retailers with access to comprehensive insights. By leveraging automation, retailers can gain valuable intelligence about market trends, consumer behavior and product performance to inform decision-making, Celigo said.

INEO Tech Corp., the developer and operator of the INEO Media Network (a digital advertising and analytics solution for retailers), has formed partnerships with several U.S.-based advertising platforms and set up private marketplace (PMP) deals with demand-side platforms (DSPs). 

In April, INEO signed agreements with ad networks AdXcelerant and LoopTV, while the PMPs were set up with The Trade Desk and Quotient. 

AdXcelerant specializes in the placement of ad campaigns across multiple channels, including cable TV, connected TV (CTV), streaming video services delivered via the internet (over-the-top programming) and websites. LoopTV is a streaming, TV and digital signage service for businesses.

The partnerships will allow INEO’s Retail Media network to accept and display digital-out-of-home and CTV ad content from the company's partners, enhancing INEO's reach and capabilities across an expanded set of digital advertising channels/touchpoints, according to a media release.

 The PMP deals allow DSPs to send advertising directly into the INEO U.S. retail store network programmatically. 

"We are thrilled to announce these strategic partnerships, which represent a significant step forward for INEO and our clients," Kyle Hall, INEO CEO, said in the release. "The rapid progress INEO Retail Media has made since we formed the division 100 days ago is tremendous. The relationships we have forged, and the agreements we have signed, have enhanced our media business and charts a clear roadmap of increasing ad revenue with our growing base of U.S. systems."

In March, INEO released an update on its growing retail media division. Hall said in a media release at the time: 

"INEO Retail Media has made great progress in the three months since we launched the division. In less than 90 days, led by the leadership of Salim Tharani, INEO has signed representation agreements with U.S.-based specialist media firms 45:10 and All Over Media; listed INEO's U.S. store advertising inventory on the programmatic advertising providers Vistar Media, Hivestack and Broadsign; started integration with programmatic advertising provider Place Exchange, and; continued to push ahead with our own direct sales efforts. These initiatives have resulted in eight advertisers placing ad campaigns with INEO Retail Media on our U.S. store network in March to date. Furthermore, the company continues to actively sell advertising on the Canadian Liquor Store network, focusing on direct relationships to secure campaigns."

R.R. Donnelley & Sons Co. (RRD), an integrated communications and marketing company, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire digital and print marketing businesses from Vericast Corp.

Vericast’s digital marketing and technology business includes: display advertising, contextual targeting, connected TV, dynamic mobile, digital out of home (DOOH), social media marketing, email marketing, local search and zero-party data capture solutions. 

The transaction also includes Vericast’s print marketing arm, including shared mail and free-standing inserts, as well as its digital and print coupon clearing business.

Tom Quinlan, president and CEO of RRD said in a statement that the addition of these digital marketing capabilities strengthens RRD’s existing portfolio — which includes marketing, packaging, print and supply chain solutions — and will move the company closer to its client promise “to enhance quality and elevate engagement across the full customer journey.” 

“The shared mail business will complement our targeted mail platform to create one of the largest [and most] sophisticated mail platforms in the U.S.,” Quinlan added.

The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2024. 

Trion Industries, an American manufacturer of retail fixtures and merchandising equipment, has named Adam Thalenfeld (pictured at right) the third president in the company's history.

He assumes this position following the unexpected death of his father, John S. Thalenfeld, in February. John began his career at Trion in 1972, and served as president and CEO since 1986. 

The succession of family leadership by Adam and his sister Rebecca continues the traditions established by their grandfather, David "Bud" Thalenfeld, when he founded Trion in 1965, according to a media release. John was instrumental in the growth of the organization, including the company's move to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1982.

"I'm honored and excited to lead the company into the future while maintaining the strong family connection with our 250-plus employees, our great customers and our local community," Adam said in the release.

Adam is a graduate of The New School university in New York where he received a bachelor's degree in Urban Studies/Affairs and a master's degree in Urban Policy Analysis and Management. He worked as a community planning fellow for New York and for Trion as a business development manager. 

In 2020, Adam founded Bread Service PA, a bakery specializing in heritage grain sourdough breads. He also sits on the board of many local nonprofits, including Temple B’nai Brith, Family Service Association, Luzerne County Historical Society, Abide Foundation, The Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic and AllOne Foundation and Charities.