Business & Technology
Ann Summers overhauls data layer in PMC turnaround
SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO
News Editor
Ann Summers has completed a transformation of its data integration layer with PMC as part of its wider turnaround plan.
The overhaul moved the retailer’s data layer to PMC’s Graphene platform, replacing older integrations that had become complex and costly to maintain. Completed in three months, the project involved reverse-engineering more than 100 integrations to create a modular structure.
Ann Summers has been reshaping parts of the business as it seeks growth through its store estate and third-party marketplaces. It reported full-year revenue of £93.4 million, up 0.4% year on year, while maintaining 75 UK stores and expanding through platforms including Next.
The technology work was intended to tackle years of additions to legacy systems that had made the group’s stack harder to manage, slowing change, adding operational friction and increasing day-to-day costs.
Jeannette Copeland, Technology & Supply Chain Director at Ann Summers, described the point at which the retailer decided it needed to rebuild core parts of its technology base.
“We’d gotten to the stage where we were continually building on top of things,” Copeland said. “And that gets to the stage where you’re almost building on top of sand… we got to the point where we needed to dig in and change that.”
Cleaner, more direct access to data was also important as Ann Summers considers broader use of artificial intelligence. Copeland said those efforts could be constrained without stronger data foundations.
“With the most recent push from an AI perspective, unless you’ve got your data straightened out, it can hold you back. We are trying to ensure we’ve got foundations within our data so we can scale in the future and that we’ve got options, so we don’t find ourselves in a technical corner,” she said.
Marketplace shift
Marketplace distribution was another driver behind the project. As a seller of adult products, Ann Summers said its website is often hidden from traditional online search results and increasingly from AI-generated search results, affecting how customers discover the brand and reach its eCommerce site.
That has made visibility on marketplaces and through third-party sellers more important. Ann Summers said its existing data set-up needed to change to support that strategy more effectively.
PMC’s Graphene platform uses an API-led, headless structure hosted in the cloud. Ann Summers said the move gives it a more composable systems estate that can adapt as requirements change, while reducing integration and running costs.
Elliott Winskill, Technology & Solutions Director at PMC, said the work was designed to bring data closer to source systems and make it more useful for operational and commercial decisions.
“By restructuring its data integration layer, Ann Summers has opened up a much more strategic way of using insight to drive innovation, bringing its data as close to the source systems as possible,” Winskill said. “By making that foundational data more strategic at the edge point, we’ve enabled Ann Summers to do more and, ultimately, deliver more, into the future.”
Cost and control
For retailers with long-established systems, integration layers can be among the hardest parts of the technology estate to change. New channels, supplier links and customer services often depend on those connections, so simplification projects can affect a wide range of operations.
The new arrangement gives Ann Summers more room to add integrations as the business expands. Its relationship with PMC will also continue through managed services support as the platform develops further.
Copeland said the change was intended to support both internal teams and the customer proposition as the business grows.
“We are now ready to scale and have a technology partner [in PMC] who can advise, develop and support new integrations during our growth strategy. This benefits teams in both businesses and, most importantly, our customers,” she said.
Business & Technology
Rosa’s Thai is giving away 4000 free Pad Thais to students
Celebrating both GCSE and A-Level Results Days, the chain will offer the popular dish to students who buy one of its bubble teas.
The free offer is available at all 42 Rosa’s Thai restaurants across England and Wales.
To avail of the free noodles, students need to register on Rosa’s Thai website for a unique code, which they should present at the restaurant together with a copy of their results.
Rosa’s Thai has a new range of bubble tea flavours, including Ube-Taro, Matcha-Coconut, Mango Sticky Rice, and Milo Chocolate Milk, as well as favourites like Home-brewed Thai Tea with Tapioca, and Lychee Mango with mango boba.
Students can sign up for their free Pad Thai at rosasthai.com/result-day-free-pad-thai and find their nearest restaurant at rosasthai.com/locations.
Business & Technology
Historic coin company enters administration after 20 years
The London Mint Office, which distributes commemorative coins and medals, appointed administrators on July 31 after 20 years in business.
The company’s website now displays a message confirming the appointment of Michael Magnay and Jonny Marston of Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP as joint administrators.
A spokesman for Alvarez and Marsal said: “On July 31 2026, Michael Magnay and Jonny Marston of Alvarez & Marsal Europe LLP were appointed as Joint Administrators of The London Mint Office Limited in administration (the “Company”).
“Regrettably, the Company’s liquidity challenges have led to a number of immediate redundancies. We are supporting the affected employees through the redundancy process.
What Happens When a Company Goes Into Administration?
“The affairs, business and property of the Company are being managed by the Joint Administrators who act as agents of the Company and without personal liability.”
The announcement confirms that it is no longer possible to purchase coins or medals through the company’s website.
The London Mint Office operates a distribution centre in Tonypandy, Rhondda Cynon Taf, where it employs a significant number of people.
Administration is a formal insolvency process triggered when a business cannot meet its financial obligations.
An insolvency practitioner is appointed to manage the company’s affairs and may attempt to restructure the business or sell off assets to repay creditors.
What happens when a company goes into Liquidation?
Founded in 2006, The London Mint Office describes itself as “one of the UK’s most trusted suppliers of historic, commemorative, and collector coins.”
It is part of Samlerhuset AS, a Norwegian company based near Oslo and one of Europe’s largest distributors of commemorative coins and medals.
Samlerhuset’s website states that it offers “provide a wide range of coins from ancient to modern, originating from virtually every country in the world.”
The London Mint Office has advised anyone with an interest in the company’s assets to contact the administrators at INS_THLMOL@alvarezandmarsal.com.
Business & Technology
Warning of new rules for Aldi and Lidl after watchdog review
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has provisionally decided that both discounters should be added to the Groceries Market Investigation (Controlled Land) Order 2010, which currently applies to Asda, Co-op, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, and Waitrose.
This order is designed to prevent large grocery retailers from using land agreements to block competitors from opening nearby stores, often through restrictive covenants or exclusivity terms.
Juliette Enser, executive director of competition enforcement and markets at the CMA, said: “We want everyone to have the best choice of supermarket and range of prices when buying their groceries.
“To ensure this happens, we put rules in place to prevent big supermarket chains blocking rival stores from opening nearby – and now we propose applying those rules to Aldi and Lidl too.
“This is about allowing shoppers to choose where they spend their money and levelling the playing field for all major supermarkets.
“Today’s proposals are provisional and we welcome views before deciding the best way forward.”
The CMA’s review found that Aldi, Lidl GB, and Lidl NI now meet the criteria of ‘Large Grocery Retailers’ (LGRs) due to their store footprint, nationwide presence, procurement model, and the breadth of their grocery range.
Aldi and Lidl were originally excluded from the 2010 order as ‘limited assortment discounters’, offering a smaller selection of products compared to traditional supermarkets.
However, the CMA’s provisional findings indicate that this is no longer the case.
All three now operate large grocery stores, each with more than 1,000 square metres of shop floor space, and offer a full range of products, though with less category choice than some competitors.
They also purchase goods directly from suppliers through integrated wholesaling.
With the UK grocery market estimated to be worth £215 billion, Aldi and Lidl are now ranked among the top five retailers by market share.
The CMA is seeking feedback from stakeholders before reaching a final decision.
Aldi and Lidl could join the other supermarket chains later this year.
The CMA is inviting views until 5pm on Monday, September 7, 2026, and will issue its final decision in the autumn after reviewing responses.
If the discounters are included under the order, they will be prevented from using land agreements to limit competition from other supermarket chains.
The CMA aims to ensure competition across the grocery sector to give shoppers more choice and competitive pricing by removing obstacles to new store openings.
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