VisionR and WHSmith agree a multi-year partnership to roll out privacy-first AI analytics to the global travel retail estate
LONDON, United Kingdom – 13th May 2026
VisionR and WHSmith enter a multi-year agreement following a strong performance across pilot locations. The partnership strengthens WHSmith’s data and insight capabilities through privacy-first computer vision and real-time behavioural analysis.
The initiative will support smarter operational decisions, enhance traveller experience, and optimise commercial performance across WHSmith’s international store network.
WHSmith and VisionR have announced the launch of a multi-year partnership that will see the implementation of next-generation, privacy-first retail analytics across WHSmith’s travel estate. The trial last year saw VisionR’s platform deploy its advanced, proprietary AI models to capture shopper’s behavioural insights in real-time.
By identifying and quantifying key challenges and opportunities in high-footfall travel environments, VisionR delivered measurable performance improvements across the trial sites. The new programme reflects WHSmith’s continued investment in technology that strengthens the customer experience for millions of passengers each year.
As a leading travel essentials retailer, with more than 1,200 stores across more than 30 countries, WHSmith serves passengers at airports, rail hubs and hospitals, offering a curated mix of food and drink, health and beauty, books, tech accessories and travel essentials. VisionR’s analytics will support WHSmith’s mission to ensure that their stores remain highly relevant, efficient and responsive to the changing needs of shoppers.
Oran Mulvey, Co-Founder of VisionR, said: “This multi-year partnership reflects the growing role of privacy-first analytics in today’s dynamic retail environment. We are proud to be WHSmith’s partner in accelerating their shopper-first strategy, moving from simply observing traffic to understanding complex shopper journeys and optimising the retail experience at a granular level.”
Zahra Coggins, Space and Format Development Director at WHSmith, said: “Our stores operate in high-footfall environments where space, flow and range decisions have a direct impact on performance. The pilot gave us clearer visibility into how shoppers navigate these environments and where friction can occur. That insight is helping us make more informed decisions as we continue to evolve our formats across the estate.”
VisionR, a retail intelligence platform, uses proprietary computer vision technology and AI-led insights to translate real-world customer behaviour into store level actions. The system is designed to operate without capturing personally identifiable information, providing retailers with a privacy-first method of understanding dwell patterns, product engagement and friction points. Through the partnership, WHSmith teams will gain access to more granular, real-time visibility that supports category optimisation, operational planning and improved availability.
With the expanded rollout now underway, VisionR and WHSmith will focus on embedding behavioural insight directly into store operations, enabling teams to act on trends quickly and ensure product, space and service decisions are driven by reliable, continuous data.
VisionR and WHSmith are committed to setting a new standard for responsible and high-performance travel retail, utilising technology to ensure a more efficient and impactful retail footprint.
Media Contact:
Oran Mulvey
Co Founder, VisionR
Oran.Mulvey@visionr.com