RTIH’s biggest retail technology news stories of the week — Retail Technology Innovation Hub
2. Anyone for digital tennis? Wimbledon is now available on Fortnite, ahead of the 2023 Grand Slam.
Race to Wimbledon is the All England Lawn Tennis Club’s entry into Fortnite, an online gaming platform.
This announcement was accompanied by a number of digital initiatives that were released for Wimbledon fans this week. These include new features in its Roblox experience WimbleWorld; a new tennis app Wimbledon Smash which is gamified; and a partnership with the mobile game Tennis Clash.
Players of Race to Wimbledon – which is presented in partnership with Amercian Express – will run, drive, parkour and fly past London landmarks, including Big Ben and the London Eye, through Wimbledon village and past Andy Murray’s golden letterbox, navigating around obstacles such as giant strawberries and tennis rackets, to make it to Centre Court in the fastest time.
This game will be available on site at The Championships in the American Express Fan Experience, Southern Village.
In order to participate in the experience, players must beat the time set by American Express ambassador Murray. They can also post their times on social media.
3. Dexory receives Series A funding of $19 Million for automated warehouses
Dexory is a UK-based AI company that specializes in robotics. It has raised $19 million from Atomico, a European venture capital firm, as well as existing investors Lakestar Kindred Capnamic and Maersk Growth.
As part of this, Atomico Partner Ben Blume will join Dexory’s board of directors.
“For those operating warehouses, ensuring 100% fulfilment ‘in time, all the time’ is crucial to meeting the demands of the modern consumer. A critical component to achieving this is high stock accuracy, but staff shortages, manual processes, and the speed demanded by customers means that critical decisions across the supply chain are currently being taken blindly,” says Dexory CEO and co-founder Andrei Danescu.
“Technology that is autonomous, real-time, intuitive, and integrated can have a transformative effect on the everyday efficiency, productivity, and accuracy of a warehouse – and form an integral part of revamping businesses supply chain strategies.”