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
French government is expected to confirm laws for “fast fashion” and eco-score
In France, following adoption of a fast fashion law by the Parliament in mid-March, the government is under pressure to deliver. Definitions are needed for company thresholds alongside terms and...
Aldi invests US$9 billion in U.S.A. expansion
On March 7, 2024, German discounter Aldi (12,000 stores worldwide, including 2,400 in the U.S.A.) announced an investment of €9 billion over 5 years for American expansion. The firm also...
25 March 2024
[Case study] With Getinside, Total Energies tests a new acquisition lever for e-commerce parcels
The Wash carwash network (Total Energies) is one of the first companies to have tested an acquisition campaign with Getinside. This digital marketplace treats e-tailers' parcels as monetisable...
In Shanghai, Apple opens an 8th store and hopes to boost sales in China
On March 18, Apple (sales of US$383.3 billion down by 2.8% in the fiscal year to September 2023, net margin of US$97 billion down by 2.8%) opened Apple Jing’an, an 8th store in Shanghai with...
21 March 2024
IDKids streamlines the store network and will be laying off 14% of staff
After closing 44 Catimini stores in 2023, the IDKids group is to cut two banners and lay off 14% of its workforce. According to our sources, one Board member already left the company.
18 March 2024
[mind Retail Exclusive] After 3 months of a pilot, what are the results of Castorama’s chatbot powered with GenAI?
As part of the 1to1Monaco event, Romain Roulleau, Marketing, Digital and Customer Director at Castorama, spoke to mind Retail about the results of the Hello Casto chatbot. He also detailed...
14 March 2024
Philippe Muhr, Intersport: “GenAI at the start of the chatbot funnel, helps us better assess consumer’s needs and boosts conversion”
At the 1-to-1 show in Monaco, Philippe Muhr, E-Commerce Director at Intersport, spoke exclusively to mind Retail about his transformation roadmap, and the results of the integration of GenAI into...
Troubled Maisons du Monde relies on Google’s AI to keep e-commerce afloat
Maisons du Monde is unveiling a recovery plan, that focused on a new franchising model. Meanwhile, it is taking stock of how to use AI to improve performance, including digital acquisition...
[mind Retail Exclusive] Carrefour disengages from Africa
According to our sources, Carrefour is progressively withdrawing from Africa, which began in 2013 with the creation of a joint venture between CFAO (55%) and itself (45%). In...
Retail tech: What are the best-performing vendor technologies?
As retailers struggle to retain staff amidst more volatile demands from consumers, tech platforms refining vendor businesses are innovating in all areas. These include task planning, messaging...
7 March 2024
[confidential] Skello relies on Open-Ai to speed up the creation of sales schedules 
From March onwards, Skello, which specialises in scheduling tools for in-store team members, will be integrating a generative AI function. After launching quarter-hourly planning in the summer of...
After Kiabi, Primark prepares to enter India
Primark and Kiabi, two European giants in the low-price fashion sector, are looking to expand into the Indian fashion market. mind Retail takes a look at their respective strategies.
7 March 2024
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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.
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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...