Sophie Baqué

Chief Editor of mind Retail
Featured image of the article Sophie Baqué
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
Focused on beauty in the U.S.A., Yuka doubled customers in one year
In the U.S.A., where product safety mobile apps are becoming increasingly popular, Yuka has already won business from over 4.5% of Americans.
1 October 2024
How GenAI is boosting the efficiency of customer relations and after-sales services
Previously neglected in the a digital world, customer relations teams are now being boosted by the potential of GenAI. mind Retail takes a look at the most effective case studies in retail and...
1 October 2024
Couche Tard, spurned by 7/Eleven, wants to continue negotiations
After the failed attempt to take over Carrefour in 2021, the US$38 billion offer from North American retailer Couche Tard (owner of Circle K stores, sales of US$69.3 billion in the year to the end...
26 September 2024
Lulu Group set to raise over US$1.5 billion via I.P.O.
Announced 2 years ago, Emirati retailer Lulu Group (2023 sales of US$8 billion via 260 supermarkets and 24 malls) is set to go public at the beginning of November 2024. This involves a dual I.P.O...
26 September 2024
Emaar Properties invests US$400 million to expand the Dubai Mall
The Dubai Mall (opened in 2008) is about to undergo major works. Owner Emaar Properties is investing US$410 million to expand the world’s 6th largest shopping centre, that covers 1.11...
26 September 2024
[mind Retail Exclusive] Carrefour tests the retail media solution developed by Vusion and Mediaperformances
In-store operational teams will be able to manage retail media campaigns That’s the promise of the partnership announced on September 18, 2024, between omnichannel retail media specialist...
TJX invests US$360 million in the Dubai-based Brands For Less
While Primark announced a strategic partnership with Alshaya Group to enter the Gulf, the American TJX Co. is also going on the offensive. The world’s largest fashion retailer by sales...
Miniso’s acquisition of Yonghui supermarkets worries markets
On September 23, Miniso (2023 sales: US$1.58 billion, up 14%) announced an investment of US$893 million to acquire a 29.4% stake in Chinese supermarket player Yonghui Superstores (2023 sales...
24 September 2024
[case study] With Smartway’s AI, Auchan Retail targets a food breakage rate of 0.75%
At Paris Retail Week, and while Smartway has just received €1.4 million in funding as part of the i-Nov innovation competition under Plan France 2030, Martine Demaret, Program Manager Officer at...
23 September 2024
YouTube partners with e-tailer Shopee in 3 South Asian countries
Faced with a dynamic growth of TikTok in South East Asia, YouTube Shopping (a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.) and Shopee (a subsidiary of Sea Group, with 2023 sales of US$13.1 billion, including 69%...
Back Market takes a step into physical retail with Bouygues Telecom
In the U.S.A. and France, Back Market is moving up the value chain and joining forces with Verizon and Bouygues. The marketplace is also due to sell via 15 stores.
20 September 2024
Pierre Chassigneux, b.connect: ‘Around 20% of e-commerce baskets are abandoned due to authentication issues’
Recruiting major e-retailers in France, defining the right business model, opening up to other banking partners... The b.connect authentication solution, supported by 5 French banks, is due to be...
18 September 2024
Our other services
mind Research
Strategic Intelligence: Tailored research and market analysis services to power your insights and back your strategic decisions.
See more
mind Days
Networking & Events: Half-day conferences covering key industry topics and open to the entire ecosystem.
See more
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
See all
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
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...
2
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
3
How Maison A.Constant built a unified customer database with n8n
Eager to bring together customer data and improve data accuracy, jewellery and watch retailer Maison A.Constant built its own Single Customer Repository (SCR) using n8n, an orchestration platform...
4
Cashback: Younited secures an exclusive contract with Bouygues Telecom
Following Orange and the launch of a marketplace, Bouygues Telecom is strengthening a customer loyalty strategy by focusing on purchasing power with a new cashback offer. For French fintech...
16 October 2026