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
In China, Pinduoduo overtakes Alibaba
The Nasdaq-listed online platform Pinduoduo (Tencent) is growing a competitive audience in China’s e-commerce market. The company reported 788.4 million annual active users in 2020, ahead of...
15 April 2021
Luckin Coffee : The so-called “Chinese Starbucks” goes bankrupt in the U.S.A.
After being fined US$180 million by the U.S. Financial Markets Authority for falsifying accounts, Luckin Coffee filed for bankruptcy protection in the U.S.A. in early February 2021. This decision...
- Retail
- News brief
26 February 2021
VFCorp: “Goodbye Hong Kong, hello Shanghai”
From April 2021, fashion retailer VF Corp (brands include Supreme, Timberland, Vans and The North Face) will be moving the Hong Kong headquarters to Shanghai, China.A second operational base...
- Retail
- News brief
26 February 2021
Couche-Tard: France blocks €16.1 billion bid for Carrefour
The Canadian Couche-Tard‘s offer of €20 per Carrefour share was rejected by the French government, citing food security and employment issues. Carrefour, whose share price has fallen to...
- Retail
- News brief
21 January 2021
Canada. Lululemon, winner in the health crisis?
The Canadian brand Lululemon Athletica specialises in yoga outfits (turnover of US$4 billion in 2019, 43% from e-commerce in the last quarter) is defying the gloom of the Covid-19 crisis, and...
- Retail
- News brief
21 January 2021
Under the leadership of Niel – Bressler, URW may soon exit from the U.S.
After buying Westfield in 2018 for €20.4 billion, URW could change its strategic direction, at a time when Mr Cuvillier is leaving his position as President. Léon Bressler, former boss...
- Retail
- News brief
9 December 2020
Walmart is shuffling cards between e-commerce and international business
The world’s leading retailer, engaged in a hand-to-hand struggle with Amazon, continues to reduce an international presence to focus on e-commerce. In just a few weeks, it has sold three...
- Retail
- News brief
9 December 2020
Mukesh Ambani, the billionaire who defies Jeff Bezos
Born in Aden (Yemen) in 1957, Ambani’s ambitions are planetary. Heir (along with brother Adil Ambani) to the oil and gas empire founded by his father, he invested billions in...
- Retail
- News brief
4 November 2020
Faysal AlMalki, Al Malki Group : “Since covid, customers who come into the stores are customers who buy”
Created in 1952, the Franco-Saudi family group Al Malki represents more than 50 luxury brands (Estée Lauder, Lancôme, Chopard, Boucheron, Cartier…) in the Gulf. Faysal AlMalki, C.O.O. of the...
- Retail
- Analysis
15 June 2020
Department stores. It is time for another reshuffle
The department store sector is facing increasingly rough times across Europe in parallel with e-commerce growth. In the U.K., the British high street crisis has already hit department store...
- Retail
- News brief
18 February 2020
Online player Jumia closes in Tanzania and Cameroon
Once dubbed the “unicorn of African e-commerce”, Jumia Technologies (owned by Rocket Internet) shows worrying signs of fatigue. In November 2019, the e-retailer announced a suspension...
12 December 2019
India ease rules for foreign single-brand retailers
In 2012, in a wide opening move, India allowed 100% foreign direct investment in single-brand retail. This relaxed the array of rules restricting the investment of foreign single-brand retailers...
- Retail
- News brief
9 October 2019
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
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