Sainsbury’s ushered in both technological and organisational changes on 3 September 2025. The grocer officially welcomed Tracey Clements to its Operating Board as Chief Retail, Logistics & Supply Chain Officer, consolidating several key functions under her leadership. Her role encompasses retail operations, digital, supply chain, logistics, and customer experience.
At the same time, Sainsbury’s began trialling facial recognition technology in partnership with Facewatch. The pilot programme, running for eight weeks in Sydenham, London, and Bath, aims to reduce theft and abuse by identifying repeat offenders.
While the retailer emphasises that images of unflagged customers are deleted instantly, privacy advocates have criticised the scheme as disproportionate and “chilling.” The results of the trial are expected to influence whether Sainsbury’s expands the technology across its wider store estate.