Business & Technology
UK shoppers want tech to support store staff, survey says
New research from x-hoppers suggests UK shoppers want in-store technology to support staff rather than replace them. The findings come as most retailers surveyed said they had committed funding to connected store plans.
The study of more than 100 senior UK retailers found 76% had committed to a connected store strategy with defined, budgeted roadmaps. Separate polling of more than 1,000 UK consumers suggested investment alone does not guarantee a better shop-floor experience if technology is not closely tied to staff support.
Among consumers, 59% said in-store technology was frustrating when it operated without human help. That rose to 68% among Baby Boomers, suggesting a stronger preference in that age group for direct support from store staff.
Another 37% said they were irritated by in-store technology when forced to use it despite preferring human assistance. The research also found that a third of shoppers were indifferent to technology such as digital screens and apps when those tools were not backed up by colleagues.
Some responses suggested technology-only approaches are failing to make a strong impression on customers. About 35% said such innovation made in-store buying journeys only marginally better, rising to 46% among Gen Z consumers.
Retail investment
The retailer survey points to a market where spending on connected stores is already established. Nearly four in five respondents said they had moved beyond ad hoc trials to defined plans, indicating that store technology remains a budget priority across the sector.
At the same time, the consumer figures suggest a gap between how retailers are implementing digital tools and how shoppers want to use them. Rather than favouring self-service for its own sake, many respondents said they value systems that help staff answer questions faster and remain present during the shopping trip.
The report found that 96% of shoppers want technology to speed up service delivery in stores. It also found that 88% value staff having access to real-time information to resolve queries on the spot.
A further 65% said connected store technology, including wearables and headsets, would improve their buying journey if it let colleagues support them instantly without walking away. That points to demand for tools that sit behind the interaction rather than replace it.
Human support
x-hoppers, part of Wildix, sells communications tools for retail teams. Its system links staff through wireless headsets, a mobile app, QR code call points and artificial intelligence features designed to help colleagues respond to customer requests while remaining on the shop floor.
The findings suggest shoppers expect blended store journeys in which technology helps deliver service but people remain central to the exchange. That view was echoed by Lyndal Newman, head of marketing at x-hoppers.
“Shoppers rate tech-led but human-powered store experiences, so investments that over-automate and remove human connection risk missing the mark when it comes to driving competitive advantage and delivering ROI,” said Lyndal Newman, head of marketing at x-hoppers.
Newman said retailers should focus on enabling staff rather than replacing them.
“The real value lies in enabling staff, not replacing them. And that means prioritising human-augmented experiences and innovation that keeps humans in the loop to meet shoppers’ needs,” Newman said.
The findings add to a broader debate in retail over the balance between labour efficiency and customer service in physical stores. While many chains continue to roll out self-checkout, apps, smart shelving and digital displays, the survey indicates shoppers still place high value on immediate human assistance, especially when store systems fail, create friction or feel compulsory.
For retailers, the results suggest the commercial case for connected stores may rest less on removing staff from the process and more on equipping them with faster access to information and communication tools. In the survey, 88% of shoppers said they value staff being able to deliver real-time information to resolve queries.
Business & Technology
Mouse droppings found in Oxford city Chinese restaurant
Ten Seconds Yunnan Rice Noodle in New Inn Hall Street was inspected by Oxford City Council on May 26.
Inspectors subsequently handed the Chinese restaurant a rating of two out of five, meaning “improvement necessary”.
According to the report, received by the Oxford Mail after a Freedom of Information request submission, officers identified a series of concerns, including evidence of mouse activity.
The report states that mouse droppings were found throughout the business in two food storage rooms and the bar area.
In one of the storage areas, mouse activity was present where noodles were kept in plastic carrier bags and potatoes and onion were left in the open.
“Historic” mouse droppings at Ten Seconds Yunnan Rice Noodle (Image: Oxford City Council)
Inspectors said pest-proofing measures were “not great” and identified a hole beneath a sink in the bar area which could potentially allow pests to enter the premises.
In the report, the inspector said: “At the time of the inspection, I observed a number of historic mouse dropping in both the food storage areas.
“The most recent pest control report mentions no mouse activity in any of the food storage areas.
“All areas where food is prepared and stored must be kept clean and capable of being kept clean. This is so that pests are not attracted into your premises and the risk of food being contaminated by dirt is minimised.”
They advised the owner to remove all historic mouse droppings within the food business and continue to identify any issues of pest proofing within a month.
A hole where pests could have entered underneath the sink (Image: Oxford City Council)
The business was instructed to remove the droppings and improve pest-proofing measures where previous temporary work had failed.
Food storage issues were also highlighted during the inspection.
In an “overfilled” fridge, officers found raw chicken stored above ready-to-eat foods, including uncovered beans and spring onions, which could cause cross-contamination leading to food poisoning.
That same fridge, which stored items such as cooked rice, chicken ballotine and prawns, was above the required eight degrees, raising concern about food poisoning.
A large number of food containers were also unlabelled, despite the food looking fresh.
The officer insisted a “robust system for ensuring adequate stock rotation” was implemented and recommended all food be kept in sealed, pest-proof containers.
An overfilled fridge which was measured above safe temperature (Image: Oxford City Council)
No food-safe sanitiser or disinfectant were available on site, only a kitchen cleaner which they said did not provide adequate disinfection.
Despite the concerns, the report noted there had been a “huge improvement” in cleaning standards since the restaurant’s previous inspection.
The business also had a food safety management system in place and a pest control contract with Pure Pest Solutions.
The council has required a range of improvements, with compliance timescales ranging from one week to one month with a revisit inspection planned.
Business & Technology
Oxford startup secures Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award
Oxford-based Peripear has secured an Innovate UK Women in Innovation Award and a £74,974 grant for its development of a wearable device designed to prevent perineal trauma during labour.
The funding will support continued product development ahead of the company’s planned first-in-human study.
Nina van Schaick, co-founder and COO of Peripear as well as a midwife who trained at Oxford Brookes, said: “I’m sure I wasn’t the only one to see this gap.
“I was incredibly lucky to meet my co-founder, Eviatar Natan, right as my frustration about the lack of translation of evidence into practice had peaked.
“There was a proven mechanism that could reduce injuries occurring in up to 90 per cent of vaginal births, and it was being left out of clinical pathways simply because no standardised tool existed to deliver it.”
Peripear is developing what it describes as the world’s first automated perineal thermotherapy wearable, designed to prevent perineal trauma during childbirth.
A perineal thermotherapy wearable is an emerging medical device.
It is a hands‑free warm compress device used on the perineum during the second stage of labour to reduce severe tearing and episiotomies while improving maternal comfort.
Ms van Schaick added: “I’m a farmer’s granddaughter, and when I started practising over 14 years ago, I asked: where is the tool I need to implement this evidence? I looked around and realised we were still asking clinicians to improvise.
“Peripear is what happens when the person who has lived the problem, both personally and professionally, meets the person who can help her build the solution.”
Business & Technology
UK bike manufacturer on brink of £30m collapse after 139 years
The company behind bikemaker Raleigh, which was founded 139 years ago and has supplied bikes to the UK’s cycling city of Oxford over the years, has filed to appoint administrators.
Accell UK and Ireland, part of Netherlands-based Accell Group, filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators as the wider group kickstarted insolvency proceedings.
This follows a difficult spell for Nottinghamshire-based Raleigh, which confirmed job cuts in 2024 before reporting a £30m loss in financial accounts published the following year.
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The boss of Accell said it was a “deeply sad and frustrating situation” and that it had “tirelessly explored” every option for the future of the cycling business.
The company bought Raleigh in 2012 for around 100 million US dollars (£74 million), adding to its roster of bike brands throughout Europe including Haibike, Winora and Ghost.
Raleigh was founded in Nottingham in 1887 and was well-known for its Chopper model, which featured extended handlebars and is now part of its “retro” range.
It no longer manufactures bikes from Nottingham, and its head office has moved to Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, while the company has shifted to selling electric bikes under Accell’s ownership.
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Accell went through a restructuring in February, securing additional funding from shareholders and lenders and reducing debts.
The group said it had since “explored every possible avenue” for its future, including discussions with potential buyers, but that it had not been possible to find a solution which means the business can continue operating.
It has therefore initiated insolvency proceedings in the Netherlands.
Accell’s chief executive Jonas Nilsson said: “This is a deeply sad and frustrating situation given all the hard work and everything we have achieved, with the support of shareholders and lenders, to restructure Accell’s operations and finances.
“It is an especially difficult moment for our employees, creditors, customers, suppliers, and partners.
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“Every realistic option for the future of the business has been tirelessly explored, and none have resulted in a solution to continue the Group in its current form.
“Our immediate focus is to support an orderly process, provide clarity wherever possible, and work with the relevant court-appointed administrators to preserve viable activities and employment where circumstances allow.”
At its 1970s height, Raleigh employed more than 13,000 people across the UK, with around 8,000 working at its various Triumph Road sites in Nottingham.
The former factory land later became the University of Nottingham’s Jubilee Campus.
Raleigh subsequently moved its headquarters to Church Street in Eastwood, before leaving that site and relocating to Durban House in 2024.
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