EDITOR’ S NOTE
Hello and a very warm welcome to the second edition of Intelligent Retail. tech. Throughout these pages, we will focus on the innovative technology that transforms the retail world. It is for all retailers across our regions – at the C-suite level and for the wider team – to read the latest news, updates and advice about the technologies which are making an impact in the retail sphere.
On the front cover of our second edition, we feature Olivier Leblan, Chief Digital and Technology Officer at Ghassan Aboud Holding. Grandiose Supermarket, a premier quality food and grocery retailer in the UAE with nearly 50 stores and part of the Ghassan Aboud Group, has signed an agreement to implement RISE with SAP S / 4HANA Cloud Private Edition as the digital backbone of its operations, integrated with SAP Business AI. Leblan discusses this partnership. Turn to page 14.
Our Expert Column this month is written by Ben Leitch, Cyber Connections and
Digital Content Manager. He talks about the recent controversy around Kmart in Australia. Kmart’ s deployment of facial recognition technology to combat refund fraud has drawn legal scrutiny and public backlash, highlighting a broader ethical question: just because technology can do something, does that mean it should? Turn to page 18.
The feature on page 24, focuses on IAB Europe’ s 2025 Attitudes to Retail Media Report, which highlights the rise of digital screens in-store, growing investment in first-party data and omnichannel integration and the urgent need for industry-wide standards.
The wave of cyberattacks on UK retailers has highlighted just how much damage these incidents can cause. An attack on Marks & Spencer in April forced the retailer to suspend online orders for almost seven weeks. An attack on Co-op saw customer data stolen and shelves left bare. Parag Jain, Executive Vice President Manufacuring & Consumer Services, Chief Growth Officer at Zensar Technologies, explores the threats which retailers face and what solutions are on offer. Turn to page 35.
We also have an Intelligent Technology section dedicated to all the latest technology developments in the retail world and a page called Project Round-Up which features news from across our regions.
I hope you enjoy the magazine and if you’ d like to contribute to any future issues, please do not hesitate to contact me by emailing rebecca @ lynchpinmedia. com
Rebecca Miles Managing Editor
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