Sophie Baqué

Chief Editor of mind Retail
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Most read articles by Sophie Baqué
Eric Meulien, Al Futtaim: “The next step in our roadmap is to replace the in-store POS system”
Operating in 18 countries and managing brands such as Ikea, Zara and Marks & Spencer, Emirati group Al-Futtaim (2025 revenue: US$9.7 billion, up by 6%) has a unique vantage point from which to...
Marketplaces: How Orange and Virgin Australia reinvent their value creation models
Looking to turn their audience into a commercial platform without having to carry the risk of holding stock, new verticals are entering the marketplace space, with new models designed to enhance...
8 October 2026
AI agents: the KPIs that led L’Oréal to scale up across its warehouses
After testing 7 AI agents in its warehouses, L’Oréal is scaling up. Deployed to coordinate picking waves, manage replenishment and handle stocktaking, Manhattan’s agents have helped cut several...
20 October 2026
How Mobilier de France reduced the share of cheque payments from 80% to 50%
With an average basket of €3,500 and a payment journey that includes a financial deposit at the time of ordering, Mobilier de France shares with mind Retail its assessment of the rollout of...
15 October 2026
Latest articles by Sophie Baqué
Faced with the downturn in Asia, Kering’s sales fell by 12% and LVMH by 2%
For LVMH and Kering, the world's n°1 and n°3 luxury retailers, Asia, which had long been a growth driver, has weighed down annual results in 2024. Meanwhile, the 25% tariffs announced on February...
30 January 2025
Auchan Russia is counting on sanctions being lifted to continue trading
Auchan Retail (2023 sales €32.26 billion, down 2% in a year, via 2,354 stores in 12 countries) has ended discussions with Gazprombank concerning the sale of 232 Russian stores, according to...
Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, Abu Dhabi RDP: ‘The big risk is the postponement of key investments due to a lack of political visibility’
Impact of customs tariffs, continued cooling demand for luxury goods, wait-and-see attitude in terms of investments. At the NRF, Patrick Bousquet-Chavanne, former C.E.O. of Emaar Malls and...
Under attack from 19 States, will Costco give in to the anti-inclusion and diversity movement?
On January 28, 19 U.S. states sent a letter to the C.E.O. of Costco, a brand name that is emblematic not only for its HR and pay policies, but also for equity, diversity and inclusion. The...
30 January 2025
Yes Ad halves the proportion of leaflets in waste paper
While consumers have massively adopted Yes Ad in the 14 test areas, it has also helped to reduce the proportion of advertising leaflets in paper waste. The French government is due to make a...
28 January 2025
[mind Retail Exclusive] Lucky Cart signs with Carrefour Spain
French start-up Lucky Cart, which is well established in the French supermarket sector (including Intermarché, E.Leclerc and Carrefour), is to make a debut at Carrefour Spain, mind Retail...
[NRF 2025] How Best Buy is reducing the cost of e-commerce returns
Omnichannel, in-store help desks, web to store... With 38% of sales online and a double-digit returns rate, Best Buy developed a unique process dedicated to making the most of returns. Chuck...
[mind Retail Exclusive] In-store analytics: two European retailers sign up with Stratacache
The new generation of Walkbase radars (Stratacache Group)0, launched at NRF and using millimetre waves, will be deployed in 2025 by two European retailers, mind Retail has learned.
21 January 2025
[NRF 2025] L’Oréal makes AI a strategic pillar of development in 2025
AI assistant for more engaging online talks, diagnostics, virtual product fitting... On the sidelines of NRF, Béatrice Dautzenberg, Global Beauty Tech Director at L'Oréal, shared with mind Retail...
[NRF 2025] Raspberry raises US$24 million to put AI at the service of sustainability
Ten months after an initial round of US$4.5 million, American company Raspberry AI secured US$24 million. Thanks to the AI image generation solution, fashion designers can visualise rendering of...
15 January 2025
[NRF 2025] Under threat from customs duties, CSR is fading into the background
At this year's NRF, retailers' CSR initiatives seem to have all but disappeared from the agenda in the face of upcoming political and customs tax issues. Jérôme Del Porto, Director of Circularity...
[NRF 2025] Shopping assistants, forecasting, digital twins: Nvidia unveils the new use cases for AI in retail and supply chain
According to the Managing Director of Retail & CPG at Nvidia, the 2nd largest capitalisation in the U.S.A. after Apple (on January 10, 2025, Editor’s note), the supply chain, computer vision...
10 January 2025
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What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
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How retailers are reinventing the checkout
As pressure on household budgets continues, new payment methods including account-to-account (A2A) instant payments, Wero, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), loyalty points and cashback, are gaining...
2 November 2026
Julien Cailleau, Oney: “With 3 retailers, we are testing the use of Valiuz data to streamline financing approvals”
Against a backdrop of growing pressure on household budgets, the European CCD2 Directive coming into force and a new legal framework for assisted purchasing journeys, Oney is stepping up an...
29 October 2026
Advantail signs with Formality to streamline commercial lease management
Amid an ownership shake-up following its acquisition by Evoriel, shopping centre operator Advantail has signed with Formality to digitise the management of commercial leases and contracts across...
US retailers divided over the rise of autonomous shopping agents
In the US, Gap, Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon and eBay are taking very different approaches to agentic commerce. While TV shopping giants QVC and HSN see these new intermediaries as an opportunity to...
Most viewed articles of the month on mind Retail
What readers clicked on the most last month.
What readers clicked on the most last month.
1
AI agents: the KPIs that led L’Oréal to scale up across its warehouses
After testing 7 AI agents in its warehouses, L’Oréal is scaling up. Deployed to coordinate picking waves, manage replenishment and handle stocktaking, Manhattan’s agents have helped cut several...
20 October 2026
2
How Mobilier de France reduced the share of cheque payments from 80% to 50%
With an average basket of €3,500 and a payment journey that includes a financial deposit at the time of ordering, Mobilier de France shares with mind Retail its assessment of the rollout of...
15 October 2026
3
Danone turns to AI to personalise marketing campaigns and test advertising in ChatGPT
AI is being rolled out across some marketing activities, while others remain in a testing phase. If campaign automation and personalisation are among the most advanced applications, visibility in...
16 October 2026
4
Julien Cailleau, Oney: “With 3 retailers, we are testing the use of Valiuz data to streamline financing approvals”
Against a backdrop of growing pressure on household budgets, the European CCD2 Directive coming into force and a new legal framework for assisted purchasing journeys, Oney is stepping up an...
29 October 2026