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
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
Latest articles by Sophie Baqué
Tap To Pay: Apple shakes up the offline POS market
Following Google for Android, Apple's Tap to Pay functionality (already live in the U.S.A., Australia, the U.K. and the Netherlands) is now coming to France. By transforming salespeople's iPhones...
16 November 2023
[info mind Retail] Marco Sacco-Stevanella, ManoMano: “After launching free returns for B2B clients in France, the next step will be an international launch”
As D.I.Y. volumes are shrinking, ManoMano wants to capitalise on B2B customers. From 100% free returns for professionals, launched at the end of September in France to new payment options, Marco...
According to the World Bank, an oil barrel could exceed US$150
As a consequence of the war between Israel and Hamas, the price of a barrel of oil could exceed US$150, warned the World Bank on October 30th, 2023. The institution also unveiled an optimistic...
8 November 2023
DSA: Brussels orders AliExpress to clarify anti-counterfeiting actions
On November 6th, the European Parliament ordered AliExpress (unique visitors per month : 12.88 million in France, according to Mediametrie) to provide information on anti-counterfeiting measures...
The Body Shop soon to be taken over by the Eurelius fund
After selling Aesop to L'Oréal, Brazilian giant Natura &Co was committed to selling The Body Shop. The investment company Aurelius has reportedly shown an interest.
7 November 2023
In India, Sephora becomes part of Reliance Retail
In Q1 2023, Reliance Retail Ventures abandoned talks to obtain the exclusive rights to operate Sephora’s business in India. However, in November, the country’s retail giant finally won...
7 November 2023
B2B : Amazon launches a BNPL offer for professional customers with Affirm
Amazon is about to offer a fractional payment option on Amazon Business, the e-commerce platform for professional clients, CNBC revealed. The U.S. retail giant, which has just published good Q3...
7 November 2023
Pauline Gubert, Babymoov: “Our business of re-conditioned products will grow from 3,000 to 20,000 units in two years”
Home appliances manufacturer Babymoov (food processors, baby monitors) has formalised a partnership with CircularX (a subsidiary of Recommerce Group) in order to expanding the range of second-hand...
E-commerce: Omnicom acquires Flywheel Digital for US$835 million
On October 30th, the U.S. communications group Omnicom (owner of BBDO, OMD and TBWA) announced a takeover of Flywheel, the e-commerce subsidiary of the British group Ascential, for US$835 million...
3 November 2023
Travel retail: L’Oréal penalised by Beijing’s crackdown on illicit retailers
According to published Q3 results in mid-October 2023, L’Oréal reported sales of €10 billion in the quarter to September 30, up by 4.5% in total and by 11% on a comparable basis...
2 November 2023
China: home appliances record a third consecutive month of drop, furniture at a standstill
In China, the property crisis has been impacting all sectors of the economy. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, two retail verticals have been particularly hard hit since June...
2 November 2023
[Ikea results] Ikea on track for €50 billion sales in 2024
Despite a declining Web traffic, digital transactions accounted for more than 25% of Ikea's business in 2023. The world's largest furniture retailer maintained growth momentum to aim for a €50...
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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
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...