Rove aims to simplify global retail expansion

A Manchester-based retail technology platform is reshaping how consumer brands expand internationally.

Rove has launched an AI-powered market intelligence platform designed to help brands, distributors and retailers enter new global markets faster, more affordably and with reduced risk. 

Unveiled at an industry event in Manchester on Tuesday (December 9), the platform brings together market insight, demand verification, retailer matching and compliance checks in one place.

Founded by retail and technology specialists Simon Boyd, Ben Davies and Adam Warburton, Rove uses AI to analyse more than 20 international markets at once, identifying high-potential opportunities within 48 hours. 

The software-as-a-service platform delivers tailored intelligence at a fraction of the time and cost typically associated with consultancy-led market entry.

Simon said: “Rove is born out of our own experience of the complexities of international expansion. 

“The traditional path to overseas growth is an expensive mess of disconnected consultants, subjective opinions, and crossed fingers. 

“Ben and I have built and scaled global businesses, and we both recognised the same challenge: accessing reliable market data and trusted retail networks is costly, slow, and fragmented. 

“Our team has set out to solve this.”

Rove is one of several new AI-enabled startups in the North West and has been selected for the Turing Innovation Catalyst (TIC) Accelerator programme, based at Sister in Manchester’s £1.7 billion science and technology innovation district.

The platform is supported by a partnership with product intelligence business Vypr, strengthening its ability to guide brands from market selection through to product and retail strategy.

Ben added: “For those planning their next global market, your 2026 strategy won’t come from guesses, furious Googling, or marketplace noise. 

“Those that win will be the ones who can answer two questions quickly: Should we go – is this market actually attractive enough? And can we go – are we operationally and regulatory ready to ship without surprises?”

Adam, who is leading Rove’s technology and product development, added: “We’re building a single platform that can do the heavy lifting: ingesting complex signals across markets, retailers, regulations, and consumers, and translating them into clear, actionable answers. 

“Not another dashboard, but an operating system for global expansion – so leaders can spend less time guessing, and more time executing with confidence.”

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