Sophie Baqué
Chief Editor of mind Retail
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...
- Retail
- Retailer and e-commerce
- Analysis
12 October 2026
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...
- Retail
- Retailer and e-commerce
- News
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...
- Retail
- Retail tech
- News
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...
- Retail
- Retail tech
- Analysis
16 October 2026
Latest articles by Sophie Baqué
Zero-carbon stores: a new controversial claim for Amazon
Having abandoned goal of achieving 50% “zero-carbon” shipments by 2030, zero-carbon is making a comeback in Amazon’s media communications. In Seattle, an Amazon Fresh store (3250...
31 October 2023
UK : After Missguided, will Shein acquire TopShop?
Shein continues a strategic shift towards a marketplace business, already launched in the U.S.A. Brazil and now due in Europe. It has just acquired Missguided and may add Topshop in its portfolio.
- Retail
- News
31 October 2023
[Amazon results] In Q3 2023, Amazon more than tripled net margin on the back of a savings plan and a return to fundamentals
After a post-Covid-19 pandemic slowdown, Amazon's net margin more than tripled in Q3 2023. Over the 9 months of the year, growth was driven by the digital marketplace, AWS and advertising - three...
- Retail
- Retailer and e-commerce
- Analysis
30 October 2023
Zalando: Returns drop by 10% thanks to sizing recommendations
With 30% returns due to incorrect fitting, Zalando is banking on AI to optimise sizing recommendations and enhance an online consumer journey.
- Retail
- Retailer and e-commerce
- News
20 October 2023
The EU Parliament voted to ban imports of products made with forced labour
On Monday 16th October, the Brussels M.E.P.’ serving in the Internal Market and International Trade committees voted in favor of the draft regulation presented by the European...
- Retail
- News brief
20 October 2023
China: Legal tussle between Carrefour and Suning over takeover deal
Four years after their takeover by Suning.com, there's not much left of Carrefour's former Chinese supermarkets. Although a Hong Kong court ordered Suning to pay Carrefour US$134 million, it is...
- Retail
- News
19 October 2023
[info mind Retail] Christofle relies on CircularX to accelerate second-hand revenue
According to our source, the high-end tableware retailer controlled by the Chalhoub family launched a program in early October 2023 to buy back second-hand products from individuals. Pierre...
- Retail
- Retailer and e-commerce
- Analysis
19 October 2023
Arnaud Lesne, Carrefour Belgium: “With Reeborn, it’s the first time a grocer rewards the sale of second-hand products”
In Belgium, Carrefour is preparing to launch a Reeborn app, dedicated to second-hand goods, in early November. Arnaud Lesne, Director of Innovation and Partnerships, talks to mind Retail about...
- Retail
- Retailer and e-commerce
- Analysis
19 October 2023
South Korean group Lotte conquers Vietnam
Having withdrawn from the Chinese market, South Korean conglomerate Lotte is increasing investments in Vietnam, like other rivals. On September 23rd, the mixed-use complex, Lotte Mall West Lake...
- Retail
- News brief
16 October 2023
Klarna claims 100 million European customers
Amid a backdrop of tighter regulation for BNPL with a revision of the European Credit Directive, online payment and BNPL solution provider Klarna reported a 14% increase in business volume in...
- Retail
- News brief
13 October 2023
Furniture and bulky goods: new initiatives for re-use
While second-hand digital platforms made their mark in the fashion sector (Vinted accounted for 12.6% of the volume of clothing purchased in France in H1 2023), furniture retailers, with their...
- Retail
- Analysis
5 October 2023
China’s Temu (Pinduoduo) accused of espionage
According to the American research company Grizzly Research, Temu, a subsidiary of PDD Holdings (capitalisation: US$130 billion), contains spyware. “It has all the characteristics of the...
4 October 2023
What you absolutely must read this week
The essential content of the week selected by the editorial team.
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...
- Retail
- Special Reports
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...
- Retail
- mind Exclusive
- Retail tech
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...
23 October 2026
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...
- Retail
- Economy and regulators
- Analysis
21 October 2026
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...
- Retail
- Retailer and e-commerce
- Analysis
12 October 2026
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...
- Retail
- Retailer and e-commerce
- News
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...
7 October 2026
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...
- Retail
- Retailer and e-commerce
- News
16 October 2026