South Africa: Shoprite rolls out smart trolleys, designed in-house by the tech division Africa, Middle East In 2 Checkers hypermarkets, the South African giant is testing a smart connected trolley technology developed by ShopriteX, the tech entity of the parent company. Trolleys are equipped with cameras and control scales. Designed in-house, will this innovation be more economically viable than those from Caper (Instacart), Hanshow, Shopic or Trollee?
After a poor second quarter, Target is reshuffling the deck: new C.E.O., new priorities to get back on track Americas The U.S. grocery retailer Target is embarking on a strategic shift after a difficult first semester. With 19.6% of online sales and three-quarters from non-food products, the US's third-largest grocer is changing governance. For new C.E.O. Michael Fiddelke, monetising digital activities and reviving core business categories are at the top of the priority list.
[Mind Retail info] Ouidrop rolls out drive-through robotics at E.Leclerc and prepares for Series A Europe Mind Retail learned the French start-up, which specialises in robotics technology for grocery drive-throughs, has signed new deals with E.Leclerc supermarkets. The rapidly growing start-up, whose staff doubled in a year, is also about to begin a Series A process in September.
EU-US customs duties: as luxury goods and beauty products, wines and spirits will be taxed at 15% Americas Exports of products manufactured in Europe to the U.S.A. are now subject to 15% customs duties. While the aeronautics sector is exempt, this is not the case for wines, spirits, cosmetics and luxury goods as four categories of products that are sensitive for the Old Continent's economy. In return, the EU committed to investing and importing huge sums into the U.S.A.
Malls : Simon Property accelerates data monetisation with Humana, URW continues arbitrage Americas As more Americans visited shopping centres in H1 2025, the sector’s leader Simon Property Group is expanding both data and community engagement with a new partnership with Humana. This gives a new experience for seniors that should translate into additional sources of revenue.
SMCP returns to growth, ending legal battle Asia On August 11, 2025, SMCP (including Sandro and Maje) announced the end of a legal battle from 2021.…
Online returns: Blue Yonder completes logistics suite with the acquisition of Optoro Americas Following in the footsteps of Best Buy, DHL and Picnic, Blue Yonder is responding to the rising challenge of online returns. As their operational, environmental and commercial impact increases, the U.S. tech company bet on external growth with Optoro to build a data-driven and omnichannel solution.
Danish grocer Salling accelerates VC investments, following in the footsteps of Vinted Europe Eager to better source retail innovation and accelerate time to market, Danish grocer Salling (2024 turnover: €9.7 billion,…
Biometric payment: Handwave raises US$4.2 million and signs with Visa Europe In the wake of Amazon One, Latvian start-up Handwave aims to democratise biometric payment and authentication using the palm of the hand. The past weeks have seen major announcements by the Founders, both former Worldline employees. Here are the details.
E-commerce: Graas AI raises $9 million to accelerate deployment of AI agents Asia On August 11, Graas AI, a Singapore-based start-up specialising in AI agents for e-commerce operations, raised $9 million in a pre-Series B round led by Tin Men Capital.…
Customer service: With AI, Saks reduces calls requiring humans by 20% Americas On August 8, Saks officially launched Sophie, an AI-powered voice and text assistant designed with the U.S.…
AI, customs duties… job losses surge in US retail Americas In the United States, according to a report by labour market specialist Challenger Gray & Christmas (CGC) published on July 31,…
Jean-Yves Gras, Colissimo: “By October 2025, we will offer photos of packages in mailboxes or at home upon delivery” Europe In an e-commerce market that is growing in volume but disrupted by the pull of out-of-home consumption, Colissimo is adopting innovative AI digital twin and package tracking technologies. The goal is to optimise delivery efficiency, reduce parcel fraud and smooth out peak loads. In an interview with mind Retail, C.E.O. Jean-Yves Gras details his tech, data and customer journey roadmap for the coming months.
With the acquisition of Mtrix, NielsenIQ strengthens supply chain visibility Americas On August 6, 2025, NielsenIQ (NIQ), a global consumer intelligence company,…
After Jennyfer and Boardriders Europe, Beaumanoir takes over Naf Naf Europe On August 7, 2025, the commercial court approved Beaumanoir‘s takeover bid for Naf Naf (amount undisclosed). At the helm of Caroll,…
data [Food Retail Barometer 2024] The financial health of the world’s 10 largest food retailers in 7 charts Now in a fourth edition, our annual barometer presents the financial performance of the world's 10 largest food retailers from 2017 to 2024: Walmart, Costco, Kroger, Seven & I, Target, Ahold-Delhaize, Carrefour, Albertsons, Tesco and Aeon. With the exception of 3 players, most retailers failed to save their margins last year. In terms of e-commerce, all retailers made progress, with some even breaking through the 18% sales share glass ceiling.
Interview Through the VC lens Guillaume Echaudemaison: “Seventure is investing in a retail tech company that personalises customer relations on a large scale” Europe Interviews Guillaume Echaudemaison is a Senior Investment Manager in the Digital team at venture capital firm Seventure Partners. Focusing on Series A funding, Seventure has notably supported SumUp and Talentsoft, and is rapidly expanding in the retail sector. Another investment in retail tech will soon be announced, the partner revealed to mind Retail.
[Amazon results] Amazon maintained growth and doubled margin in 2024 Driven by e-commerce, the marketplace, the cloud and advertising - four entities that have each generated more than US$10 billion in incremental revenue - Amazon ended 2024 with solid fundamentals and a doubled margin. However, investors remain concerned about Donald Trump's policy on Chinese imports, which could weaken the business.
Start-up under the microscope Customer satisfaction: Actionable enhances product with an AI Data Analyst assistant Europe Just a year after launch, tech start-up Actionable, which specialises in predicting customer satisfaction, is picking up speed. With a product launch, ISO 27001 certification, an award at One-to-One Monaco conference, and new staff, C.E.O and Co-Founder Nicolas Rieul spoke with mind Retail to reveal the company's ambitions.
[mind Retail Day] How AI has become a performance lever for physical stores How can omnichannel retailers make the most of AI technologies, whether generative or not? What results can they expect? The mind Retail Day, held in Paris on June 19, offered an opportunity to take stock of these issues with Réuel Mizrah, Managing Director of La Maison Convertible, Marine Morel, Head of Innovation at Saint-Maclou and Benoît Sétif, Executive Director at Fifty-Five consultancy.
Exclusive [mind Retail Exclusive] Lacoste signs with StrutFit to reduce online returns On May 23, at Viva Technology in Paris, mind Retail learned of Lacoste‘s signing with New Zealand’s StrutFit in March 2024.…
Jean-Yves Gras, Colissimo: “By October 2025, we will offer photos of packages in mailboxes or at home upon delivery” Europe In an e-commerce market that is growing in volume but disrupted by the pull of out-of-home consumption, Colissimo is adopting innovative AI digital twin and package tracking technologies. The goal is to optimise delivery efficiency, reduce parcel fraud and smooth out peak loads. In an interview with mind Retail, C.E.O. Jean-Yves Gras details his tech, data and customer journey roadmap for the coming months.
Hugues Chanoine, Hygie31: “In a year, our retail media revenue jumped 25% to €1 million” Expansion of a physical network, e-commerce upgrades, developing retail media, overhaul of digital tools... With little media exposure, the Hygie31 group—which operates 1,519 pharmacies and 5 websites in 7 countries—is undergoing a major transformation of an omnichannel ecosystem. With e-commerce accounting for 3.3% of business in 2024, the M.D. of the group's digital subsidiary, Hugues Chanoine, tells mind Retail about the new projects and future ambitions.
Through the VC lens Shabir Vasram, Daphni: “We are seeing valuation anomalies in certain AI cases due to investors’ pressure” Shabir Vasram is a Partner at venture capital firm Daphni. Focusing on seed to Series A funding, Daphni backed companies such as Back Market, Stockly, Albatross and Prediko, and is rapidly expanding into retail tech. He revealed to mind Retail that investments in agentic AI will be announced soon.
Jean-Yves Gras, Colissimo: “By October 2025, we will offer photos of packages in mailboxes or at home upon delivery” Europe In an e-commerce market that is growing in volume but disrupted by the pull of out-of-home consumption, Colissimo is adopting innovative AI digital twin and package tracking technologies. The goal is to optimise delivery efficiency, reduce parcel fraud and smooth out peak loads. In an interview with mind Retail, C.E.O. Jean-Yves Gras details his tech, data and customer journey roadmap for the coming months.
Thibault Tabard, Ingka: ‘With 2 to 3 openings per year, we are aiming for 20 design studios by 2030’ As Ikea expands urban stores dedicated to project design, mind Retail wanted to understand the results. How many appointments were made last year ? What is the uplift in consumer spending ? We have an exclusive analysis from Thibault Tabard, Director of Expansion for France at Ingka, the group's first franchisee.
Interview Through the VC lens Guillaume Echaudemaison: “Seventure is investing in a retail tech company that personalises customer relations on a large scale” Europe Interviews Guillaume Echaudemaison is a Senior Investment Manager in the Digital team at venture capital firm Seventure Partners. Focusing on Series A funding, Seventure has notably supported SumUp and Talentsoft, and is rapidly expanding in the retail sector. Another investment in retail tech will soon be announced, the partner revealed to mind Retail.
Kiabi to open soon 70 corners in Auchan hypermarkets Kiabi unveiled their strategic roadmap for 2023. This includes expanding products for children and babies, launching the new marketplace in Spain and Italy and massively rolling out “corners” at Auchan hypermarkets.
Free Apparel Group opens first “phygital” fashion store in Dubai Sit comfortably on a couch in front of a giant screen showing brand images like Calvin Klein or Tommy Hilfiger. Select the items you like on the shelves provided.…
Ingka Centres starts construction of a first Indian mall … Ingka Centres, a subsidiary of the Ingka Group (turnover of €37.4 billion in the fiscal year to August 2021 up by 6% year-on-year) started construction of the Gurugram mixed-use complex on 16 August 2022.…
[Inflation Barometer] Despite inflation stabilising in 2024, European retail is still being penalised by prices that are too high In 2024, inflation reached a moderate level of +2.4% in both the Eurozone and the U.S.A. In the long term, the gap in terms of consumption is real: over 3 years, food inflation reached +25% in Europe compared with +15% in the USA. This price uplift is penalising the retail sector in France and Germany. In the USA, however, the retail sector is in good health.
data Black Friday : European average online spending up 14% in 2024 In Western Europe, Black Friday 2024 was characterised by an increase in spending and volumes (no inflation effect) and a massive recruitment of new e-shoppers. Although customers' participation, at 46%, exceeded the 2020 peak, the marketplaces imposed their rules. TikTok Shop is now one of the 10 best-performing sites.
Temu gained 5.4 million visitors in France in Q3 2024, versus 344,000 for Amazon Europe In Q3 in France, of the 6 online retailers that gained over a million monthly Unique Visitors (UVs), 5 were marketplaces. Whilst Temu leads the way, with a gain of 5.4 million visitors, Carrefour is also doing well.
[Luxury Barometer] Global Top 5 in 2024: a delicate balance As Richemont and Chanel publish 2024 accounts (May 2025), mind Retail analyses the health of the world's top five luxury brands—LVMH, Chanel, Hermès, Kering, and Richemont—using 5 indicators. While the global market is experiencing a second year of decline, Hermès and Richemont are standing out with gains in market capitalisation, sales growth and, for the former, a record margin of 30.3%. Conversely, LVMH, Chanel and Kering are seeing sales and market capitalisation melt away.
In 2024, which retailers have the best scores on the professional equality index? In 2024, 1,812 online and omnichannel retailers with more than 50 staff reported their score on the professional gender equality index to the French Ministry of Labour. mind Retail analysed the scores of companies in 8 retail sectors for the financial year ending in December 2024.
Words from retail leaders: how to prioritise the use of AI in project mode During the 1-to-1 conference in Monaco, mind Retail asked 5 analysts, retail and e-commerce executives to share their roadmap in terms of using AI in project mode in the coming months. They also shared the management issues associated with these projects within their teams. Here is our summary.
Portugal: a Glovo delivery rider recognised as an employee by the Supreme Court In a ruling on May 28, the Supreme Court of Justice of Portugal reclassified the relationship between an independent food delivery rider and the Glovo platform as an employment relationship.…
South Africa: Shoprite rolls out smart trolleys, designed in-house by the tech division Africa, Middle East In 2 Checkers hypermarkets, the South African giant is testing a smart connected trolley technology developed by ShopriteX, the tech entity of the parent company. Trolleys are equipped with cameras and control scales. Designed in-house, will this innovation be more economically viable than those from Caper (Instacart), Hanshow, Shopic or Trollee?
After a poor second quarter, Target is reshuffling the deck: new C.E.O., new priorities to get back on track Americas The U.S. grocery retailer Target is embarking on a strategic shift after a difficult first semester. With 19.6% of online sales and three-quarters from non-food products, the US's third-largest grocer is changing governance. For new C.E.O. Michael Fiddelke, monetising digital activities and reviving core business categories are at the top of the priority list.
[Mind Retail info] Ouidrop rolls out drive-through robotics at E.Leclerc and prepares for Series A Europe Mind Retail learned the French start-up, which specialises in robotics technology for grocery drive-throughs, has signed new deals with E.Leclerc supermarkets. The rapidly growing start-up, whose staff doubled in a year, is also about to begin a Series A process in September.
