Sophie Baqué

Latest articles by Sophie Baqué

Despite better Q2 results than Alibaba, Temu reviews strategy

The quarterly results to the end of June for Alibaba (sales up 4%, including down by 1% for retail) and Temu (sales up 86%) worried financial markets. Rising competition from TikTok and other...

27 August 2024

China: After an upbeat Q2, Walmart sells JD.com

On August 21, Walmart confirmed the sale of their stake in JD.com (2023 sales:US$153 billion, up 3.7% in a year). In China, faced with competitors Pinduoduo, Xiaohongshu and Alibaba, the...

23 August 2024

Social commerce: why Amazon needs TikTok’s audience

At a time when growth is slowing, Amazon (2023 sales: US$574.8 billion, up 12%) signed an agreement on August, 8 with Tik Tok (1.58 billion users in April) to enable highly engaged American users...

21 August 2024

Lidl launches a D.I.Y. and garden services

After launching a non-food e-commerce business in May 2023, Lidl is further investing in physical stores. In mid-July 2024, the Schwarz Group subsidiary (2023 sales: €167.2 billion, up 8.5%...

20 August 2024

Merger with Albertsons: Kroger raises a bid by US$1 billion

Announced in October 2022, the US$25 billion (including debt) mega-merger between Kroger and Albertsons was temporarily suspended on July, 25 2024. This decision comes after the publication of the...

19 August 2024

[Amazon Results] Despite solid profitability in Q2, Amazon’s higher investments and U.S.A. pre-election worries unsettle financial markets

Despite fierce competition from Temu and Shein, Amazon reported a solid margin in Q2, driven by the acceleration of AWS and the digital marketplace. Whereas staff lay-off plans have been put on...

2 August 2024

Inflation, retail sales, unemployment: 7 charts to understand the health of retail in Europe and the U.S.A. in H1 2024

mind Retail presents a review of macro-economic indicators for the 1st half of 2024. At the end of June 2024, what was the level of inflation in Europe, the U.S.A. and China? How is it impacting...

27 July 2024

[mind Retail Exclusive] E.Leclerc invests about €200,000 in a first automated pick-up point

We announced it in December 2023. It is now a reality. On 8 July 2024, E.Leclerc (23.5% market share in 2023 and 24.3% at the end of June 2024) inaugurated its first automated pedestrian...

19 July 2024

Fursac sells vintage products from other brands…but not their own

According to our sources, men’s fashion retailer Fursac (a subsidiary of the SMCP group, with sales of €1.2bn in 2023 at 3% LFL at constant exchange rates, then down by 5% in Q1 2024)...

18 July 2024

Margot Pouliquen, Nature & Découvertes: “In 6 months, the marketplace has grown from 36% to 42% of our digital turnover”

A subsidiary of the Darty group since 2019, Nature & Découvertes explained to mind Retail the three scale up projects for a marketplace operated by Mirakl. These are omnicanality between 3P...

18 July 2024

Luxury: Shunned in Asia, Burberry sales fall 20% in Q1

On July 15, Burberry (sales of US$3.75 billion for the financial year to the end of March 2024, stable) announced sales of US$579 million for the 3 months to the end of June, down 20% at constant...

15 July 2024

JouéClub bets on the 2024 Olympics to boost growth

In the toy sector, even though the 4th quarter accounts for more than 50% of sales, the Olympic Games are a highlight of 2024. JouéClub spokesman Franck Mathais reviews this pivotal moment.

12 July 2024

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Personalised pricing: Europe keeps a low profile while New York forces retailers to be transparent

In the State of New York, unprecedented legislation has come into force requiring retailers using personalised pricing algorithms to inform consumers. While the NRF is seeking to counter its...

12 December 2025

Carmila join forces with Unlimitail and JCDecaux to equip 252 malls

On December 9, Carrefour and Carmila signed a partnership with Unlimitail and JCDecaux to create a retail media network combining indoor DOOH and outdoor OOH across their sites in France and...

12 December 2025

Coupang’s C.E.O. resigns after data leak of 33.7 million customers

On December 10, Park Dae-Jun, CEO of South Korean e-commerce retailer Coupang (2024 revenue: US$31.5 billion up by 29%) resigned. The cause was a security breach that exposed the personal...

12 December 2025

Kroger compensates Ocado with US$350 million and scales back robotic warehouses

After improving net margin in 2024, Kroger is closing several automated Ocado warehouses. The strategy is to strengthen in-store picking and delivery partnerships with DoorDash Instacart and Uber...

12 December 2025

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Personalised pricing: Europe keeps a low profile while New York forces retailers to be transparent

In the State of New York, unprecedented legislation has come into force requiring retailers using personalised pricing algorithms to inform consumers. While the NRF is seeking to counter its...

12 December 2025

Price-fixing investigation: Swatch and Citizen under scrutiny in Italy

On December 9, 2025, Swiss watch groups Swatch (Tissot, Mido and Hamilton) and Japanese Citizen (Bulova, Vagary, Frédérique Constant and Alpina) were placed under investigation by...

11 December 2025

Italy: three executives from luxury goods group Tod’s investigated over worker exploitation

After placing Loro Piana (LVMH), Armani, Dior and Valentino under judicial administration, the Milan public prosecutor's office is now targeting Tod's. Three of its executives are under...

28 November 2025

Australia bans access to social networks for under‑16s

As part of the adoption of the Online Safety law Social Media Minimum Age, voted on 28 November 2025, minors aged under 16 will no longer be able to access social networks in Australia from...

2 December 2025

Customs duties: Costco sues the Trump administration

On November 28, Costco (net sales of US$267 billion in the fiscal year ending August 31, 2025 , up by 8.1% after 6% in 2024) sued the Trump administration, judging the tariff surcharges imposed...

5 December 2025

In the U.S.A., retail job cuts rise 139% in a year

According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a company specialising in employment trend analysis, in the U.S.A., 2025 has been tough for retail employment. The sector recorded 91,954 job cuts...

9 December 2025