Chinese robots power UK retail as Geek+ deploys 2,000 units

Chinese robotics company Geek+ is supplying autonomous mobile robots to major UK retailers including Tesco, Asda and Next, transforming warehouse operations across Britain. The robots, built at Geek+'s factory in Hefei, China, glide beneath storage racks, lift shelves and carry them to workers, speeding up order processing.

The UK has become Geek+'s biggest European market, with partner MotionTech deploying more than 2,000 robots across 10 warehouse sites. Barry Pemberton, Account Director at MotionTech, said customers want fast deployable solutions that offer high volume, high storage and fast picking on a smaller footprint with reduced headcount, adding that a big labour shortage in the UK makes these technologies important for businesses to thrive.

Economists say wider adoption of robotics is essential to improve the UK's weak productivity growth. The OECD's 2026 report SME Technology Adoption in the United Kingdom noted that technologies like robotics would be key, and called Britain's low adoption of robotics "surprising" given its manufacturing heritage, as UK firms lag behind in automation despite embracing mature digital technologies.

Geek+ listed in Hong Kong last year in one of the biggest robotics share sales of 2025 and has become the world's largest supplier of autonomous mobile robots. Unlike traditional fixed conveyor systems, its robots use QR code floor markers and safety fencing for simple deployment, increasing picking speeds, storing more goods in hard-to-reach spaces and reducing errors, according to the company.

The Trades Union Congress, representing almost 6 million UK workers, said robotics should raise productivity and improve jobs rather than just cut labour costs. In its response to a government consultation on an AI and innovation strategy, the TUC urged ministers to ensure workers are involved in automation decisions and that employers invest in retraining, warning against "job-cutting, low-productivity automation".

Robotics is a strategic priority for Beijing under President Xi Jinping's "new quality productive forces" drive, as China's working-age population shrinks. Kyle Chan, a researcher at the Brookings Institution, said the robotics story builds on China's electric vehicle ecosystem, with batteries, motors, cameras and sensors from EVs creating overlapping industrial ecosystems. Chinese EV maker XPeng unveiled its humanoid robot Iron last year, and founder He Xiaopeng told the BBC he sees the company becoming a car and robotics firm. However, the US banned imports of new foreign-made advanced robots this week, citing national security, a move the Chinese embassy in Washington said Beijing opposes as politicising trade issues. Geek+ says its next goal is end-to-end unmanned warehouse solutions, automating picking, handling and packing, while companies like AgiBot and Unitree invest in humanoids, though experts say current technology lacks dexterity for some tasks and humanoids may only be complementary for now.