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
Mirakl launches 24-hour vendor onboarding with Mistral AI and OpenAI
On May 28, Mirakl (ARR of US$160 million in 2023, up by 20%) announced the beta launch of Catalog Transformer. The solution is based on Mirakl algorithms (Artificial Mirakl Intelligence) and LLM...
Ghislain Boyer, KPMG: “With CSRD, ESG will eventually hit retailers very hard”
Global retailers are particularly affected by the imminent arrival of Europe’s CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), according to Stephanie Grandjean Mateos and Ghislain Boyer...
Mental health: Kate Spade raises awareness among 900 store managers
On May 16, 2024, on the occasion of the Mental Health Day of Action in the U.S.A., luxury label Kate Spade (sales: US$1.42 billion in the year to end June, a fall of 2% in a year) boosted its...
24 May 2024
[mind Retail Exclusive] OBI chooses VTEX to better equip franchisees in e-commerce
Mind Retail learned that Obi has changed OMS and e-commerce platform partner. This should enable Germany's second largest DIY retailer, which is conducting a shift towards franchising, to...
USA: Why the Maurices label migrated POS to Oracle’s cloud solution
Putting omnichannel customers at the center, reducing infrastructure costs, facilitating the integration of CRM programs and promotions were priorities of the Maurices fashion retailer when it...
[mind Retail Exclusive] DOOH: In-Store Media to launch a new display banner for stores
The point-of-sale advertising specialist In-Store Media is working on a new format for in-store advertising. Aimed at supermarkets as well as D.I.Y. and beauty stores, it is designed to increase...
[mind Retail Exclusive] 3 years after its first financing round, Sensei prepares a Series A
Autonomous store technology specialist Sensei, created in the wake of Amazon Go, is about to announce a Series A funding round (a round involving an investment fund, Editor’s note) mind...
Facing theft issues, Target, Walmart and Dollar General reduce access to self-checkout
In the U.S.A., retailers are reviewing their self-checkout practices. Here's a look at the measures recently introduced by Target, Walmart, Dollar General and Five Below to counter the problem of...
15 May 2024
Following Microsoft, Amazon invests US$9 billion in Singapore
On May 7, 2024, Amazon announced a major investment into AWS. Following Microsoft, which last week unveiled a US$4 billion investment in cloud computing and AI infrastructures in Malaysia and...
Walmart invests massively in private label offering
After announcing the closure of the health center business, Walmart is investing in a major overhaul of private labels. It aims to enhance loyalty of high-income households, in order to compensate...
7 May 2024
Wayfair bets on omnichannel with a first U.S. flagship
Despite an 8.4% decline of the U.S. furniture market in 2023, Wayfair‘s annual sales remained stable in the U.S. domestic market, growing by 0.2% to US$10.4 billion. The DNVB, whose market...
[Case study] With Hanshow, Leroy Merlin cuts picking time by 17% for 2-hour pick-up
On February 28, at EuroCIS, Leroy Merlin and Hanshow received the Reta Awards 2024 for best in-store retail solution and best supplier respectively. mind Retail reports on the deployment of...
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What you absolutely must read this week
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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
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...