UK’s first Digital Retail Innovation Centre to open

Gloucestershire’s Local Enterprise Partnership, GFirst LEP has awarded 400,000 pounds of funding to Marketing Gloucester to open the UK’s first national centre for digital retail innovation, which will open in the Eastgate Shopping Centre in Gloucester this year.

The UK Digital Retail innovation Centre will be located on the first floor of Eastgate with the aim of becoming a national centre for testing and developing disruptive digital innovations that will help shape and inform the future of cities with a special focus on retail.

It will help provide a space for technology solution providers and retailers to test innovative technologies and work in partnership to enhance and develop new and possibly disruptive solutions, as well as be a supportive incubator for high growth new retailers, all of whom will have access to next-generation technologies and methodologies and will be targeted on rapid testing of their business model and growth.

The centre will showcase the latest retail technologies and could show off some future innovations such as holographic “virtual employees”, artificial intelligence, 3D scanning and printing of products, drone deliveries, robotic security guards, 360 virtual mirrors and near field communication.

Diane Savory, chair of GFirst LEP, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for Gloucestershire as it further demonstrates that our urban areas are proving to be leaders in the developing of innovation in digital retail solutions.

“We are delighted to be able to award this funding to Marketing Gloucester and confident that it will lead to further inward investment from the private and public sectors.”

Jason Smith, chief executive of Marketing Gloucester added: “There are huge challenges facing the UK retail sector and the UK Digital Retail Innovation Centre has the potential to be a gamechanger which could have a national impact, we greatly appreciate the investment from GFirst LEP.”

Marketing Gloucester are now looking for contractors to transform the currently vacant retail and food hall at Eastgate into the UK Digital Retail Innovation Centre. Plans include the removal of walls, works to ceiling and floor finishes and general renovation to create 11 small shop units, an open area and offices.

Work is expected to start in February and be completed by June 2018.