A trio of Manchester retail tech entrepreneurs have launched a new AI-driven platform designed to help consumer brands expand into international markets more efficiently.
Unveiled at a launch event attended by retail industry leaders in Manchester this week, Rove brings together market intelligence and a verified retailer marketplace to make global expansion “faster, cheaper and more strategic”.
According to the entrepreneurs Simon Boyd, Ben Davies and Adam Warburton, it is the first AI-powered platform that can identify high-potential markets, verify demand, connect brands directly with retail partners and run compliance checks in a single system.
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The startup is one of a growing cluster of AI-led ventures emerging in the North West and has been selected for the Turing Innovation Catalyst (TIC) Accelerator, based at Sister in Manchester’s £1.7bn science and technology innovation district.
Built as a SaaS product, Rove can deliver bespoke market intelligence within 48 hours – a process the founders say typically takes months – and at around 10% of the usual consultancy cost. The platform can scan more than 20 international markets simultaneously, giving businesses a data-led view of where the strongest opportunities lie. The approach aims to reduce cost and risk not only for brands, distributors and retailers but also for government agencies and trade bodies seeking market insight.
The launch brought together retail and global growth specialists, including Chris Sheard, Ecommerce Director at Fanatics, and Simon Showman, Founder & President of Ultimate Products. Discussions highlighted the omni-channel opportunities emerging for brands in 2026, accelerated by consumer adoption of AI. The founders cited research showing the shift in global ecommerce dynamics, including Boston Consulting Group’s finding that marketplaces now account for more than two-thirds of global ecommerce, and DHL’s 2025 study reporting that 59% of shoppers buy cross-border.
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Rove’s leadership team brings deep experience across retail, technology and international scaling. Boyd has held senior roles at Kingfisher, Tesco and Phones4U, and has built global operations such as CAT Phones, which reached $85m in revenue across 60 countries, and Smoothskin, which grew to $150m in retail sales in 70 markets. Davies previously founded Manchester-based Vypr, the product intelligence platform used by major FMCG brands, where he remains part of the senior leadership team. Warburton, formerly Chief Product Officer at Co-op and Chief Product & Technology Officer at Vypr, leads Rove’s product and technology strategy.
Speaking at the event, Boyd 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.”
Davies 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?”
Warburton said: “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.”
The launch was supported by Vypr, which will complement Rove’s market intelligence through its own fast, cost-effective consumer insight platform, helping brands validate product decisions and reduce go-to-market risk.
