GK expands open retail platform with DevHub & AI tools

GK Software has expanded its open platform strategy for retailers and technology partners, adding new development tools and broadening partner access to its CLOUD4RETAIL platform.

The update centres on a new GK DevHub, which brings API documentation, software development kit guides and configuration guides into one environment. The retailer software provider says the hub is designed to help retailers, implementation partners and other technology providers build and deploy extensions without changing the underlying service layer.

GK also introduced a natural language development feature that would let users create prototype applications with full point-of-sale interaction through prompts. The prototypes are intended to be available immediately and built for direct integration with retail checkout systems.

The announcement reflects a wider push by retail technology suppliers to position their platforms as more open and less tied to a single vendor. Retailers increasingly want systems that can connect specialist providers across areas such as mobile ordering, self-service, workforce tools and store operations.

Platform changes

According to GK, the architecture behind CLOUD4RETAIL is built on microservices, open APIs, cloud-native deployment, headless design and edge resilience for store operations when connectivity is interrupted. It is also adapting the platform for what it describes as the "agentic era", treating AI agents and automated tools as direct users of the platform.

The approach is aimed at retailers in grocery, convenience and general retail that need to add software from multiple sources while keeping core selling systems stable. In practice, third parties can build services around the main platform rather than replace central retail functions.

GK says its platform remains partner-agnostic, allowing customers to choose among different infrastructure, hardware, software and implementation providers. It argues that modern retail operations depend on a broader mix of specialist vendors across forecourts, checkout, kitchens and mobile applications.

Partner network

GK highlighted an expanded ecosystem of partners across several categories. In cloud and infrastructure, it pointed to AWS as the provider supporting global scale across thousands of locations and multiple markets.

On hardware, GK cited Elo, Ingenico, Microtouch and Zebra Technologies as partners covering fixed point-of-sale, mobile associate tools and self-service systems. In software and operational tools, it named Allied Electronics, Abacus, Altaine, Dover Fuel Solutions and Opterus as providers extending the platform into areas including task management, workforce communication and other retail use cases.

Implementation partners include Cambridge Retail Advisors, Kitestring, Redsis and Thynkactive, which support multi-format deployments for enterprise and convenience retailers, according to GK. The emphasis on services partners is notable because large retail roll-outs often depend as much on integration and operational change as on the software itself.

Market position

GK framed the update against its recent market performance. It says it was recognised as a Leader in the 2025 IDC MarketScape for Worldwide POS Software Platform Vendors in Retail Fuel and Convenience, with the research firm citing configurability and its fuel partner ecosystem.

It also says it delivered the most new installations among major point-of-sale vendors in four of the past five years. In the US convenience sector, GK says seven of the 15 largest retailers use its systems.

Those figures suggest GK is using momentum in convenience and fuel retailing to strengthen its case for an open architecture model. These segments have often been early adopters of hybrid retail systems because they need to combine store, payment, fuel and foodservice functions in a single estate.

Bill Miller, General Manager and President, GK Americas, outlined the company's view of the market shift.

"Retailers have always needed an ecosystem to succeed," said Bill Miller, General Manager and President, GK Americas. "What's changed is the pace of innovation and deployment required to adapt to customer expectations. The capabilities that matter most today - mobile ordering and emerging third-party integrations - aren't all coming from a single vendor. Our GK CLOUD4RETAIL platform is the connective tissue that makes all of it work together, and this initiative ensures our partners can build on it quickly and confidently as those needs evolve."

GK says its software is used by more than 24% of the world's top 50 retailers, with more than 570,000 installations across more than 65 countries.