News brief

Allbirds (27 stores in late June 2021), plans to list on the Nasdaq. In 2020, the company raised US$100 million in Series E funding, valuing the firm at US$1.7 billion, said WWD. Allbirds, which...

24 September 2021

Michel Chalhoub dies at 89

Michel Chalhoub, Chairman and Founder of the Chalhoub Group, died on July 30, 2021 at the age of 89. He leaves behind a family-owned group that has become a key player in the Middle East luxury...

20 September 2021

Gemo is advancing in Africa

In 2020, Gemo’s turnover fell by 12% to €720 million via 440 stores worldwide. Having opened stores in Tahiti and New Caledonia (the Noumea unit is in the Top 10), a second store will...

20 September 2021

UAE’s e-commerce is progressing

According to Euromonitor, e-commerce reached US$3.9 billion in the U.A.E. in 2020, reaching 8% of retail sales (Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry).

20 September 2021

Dubai. Carrefour launches a first standalone supermarket

Majid Al Futtaim, Carrefour’s franchisor for 30 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa, inaugurated its first standalone supermarket on September 6, 2021.

20 September 2021

Gulf Sovereign wealth funds eye Selfridges

In the end of July 2021, the British department store operator Selfridges said it was considering a sale. Credit Suisse sent an information memorandum to potential investors. Selfridges operates 4...

20 September 2021

Auchan Retail revenue still sluggish in H1

In the first half of the year 2021, Auchan Retail’s sales fell by 2% on a comparable basis, to €14.9 billion excluding V.A.T. Profitability improved to €594 million. In France...

20 September 2021

Kingfisher and Adeo test urban shores

After the deployment of “pedestrian food drives” in European city centers, will D.I.Y. retailers follow a similar path? For the time being, retailers are piloting numerous small...

17 September 2021

Buy Now Pay Later. Ikea invests in Jifiti

In early September 2021, the Swedish retailer Ingka (390 Ikea stores in 32 countries, 45 shopping centers plus an e-commerce site accounting for 18% of last year’s turnover) invested US$...

17 September 2021

Square aims for seamless mobile payment in retail

The U.S. payment solution specialist Square, founded by Jack Dorsey (co-founder of Twitter) is now allowing retailers to accept mobile payments via its Cash App Pay functionality.

17 September 2021

Sainsbury’s and Tesco move towards store/warehouse pay equality

In the U.K., retail staff are demanding that employers achieve pay equity between shop jobs (predominantly female and lower paid) and warehouse jobs (predominantly male).

16 September 2021

Deliveroo still making a loss in the first half of the year

Will Deliveroo’s business model ever be profitable? Boosted by successive lockdowns, the business doubled in the first half of 2021, going from 75 to 149 million deliveries: double those of...

3 September 2021

Footfall is still sluggish in British city centers

Even though home office recommendations were lifted on July 19, British workers are not returning to the office in numbers, thus penalising retail activity in city centers, summarises the think...

3 September 2021

Brazil. More than 60% of online sales for the home-electrical leader

At the home electrical retailer Via Varejo, 61% of the turnover in the first half of 2021 came from e-commerce against 30% before the pandemic.

3 September 2021

U.S.A. The wholesale disruptor, Boxed, soon to go public

The delivery company Boxed (selling groceries and supplies in bulk volumes) is going to go public by merging with a SPAC (Seven Oaks).

3 September 2021

Amazon to roll out deferred payment with Affirm

In the US, Amazon has confirmed that Affirm’s “Buy Now, Pay Later” payment option, currently under test, will be offered more widely on its website in the coming months. The...

3 September 2021

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Agentic AI: Hymalaia attracts retailers and announces imminent fundraising

According to our sources, the young start-up Hymalaia is continuing development in retail with 4 new retailers currently in POC and an imminent fundraising. We examine the details.

16 December 2025

Refurbished smartphones: why Largo relies on Speeral automation

The start-up founded by the duo behind Teester and Skeepers is accelerating automation of second-hand product flows. The strategy is to use AI to direct products to high-traffic marketplaces such...

9 December 2025

Leroy Merlin and Aroma‑Zone launch in‑store analytics pilots with XXII

French retail tech XXII, which aims to become the Google Analytics and Contentsquare of physical stores, has already signed with 15 retailers and shopping centres, mind Retail learned. A year...

5 December 2025

Already in POC, Dialog’s conversational agent shows up in the search bar

Buoyed by a €3.8 million seed round closed in mid‑November 2025, French start‑up Dialog, specialised in AI‑based conversational e‑commerce, is accelerating. Initially placed on product pages, this...

4 December 2025

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Personalised pricing: Europe keeps a low profile while New York forces retailers to be transparent

In the State of New York, unprecedented legislation has come into force requiring retailers using personalised pricing algorithms to inform consumers. While the NRF is seeking to counter its...

12 December 2025

Price-fixing investigation: Swatch and Citizen under scrutiny in Italy

On December 9, 2025, Swiss watch groups Swatch (Tissot, Mido and Hamilton) and Japanese Citizen (Bulova, Vagary, Frédérique Constant and Alpina) were placed under investigation by...

11 December 2025

In the U.S.A., retail job cuts rise 139% in a year

According to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, a company specialising in employment trend analysis, in the U.S.A., 2025 has been tough for retail employment. The sector recorded 91,954 job cuts...

9 December 2025

Italy: three executives from luxury goods group Tod’s investigated over worker exploitation

After placing Loro Piana (LVMH), Armani, Dior and Valentino under judicial administration, the Milan public prosecutor's office is now targeting Tod's. Three of its executives are under...

28 November 2025

Australia bans access to social networks for under‑16s

As part of the adoption of the Online Safety law Social Media Minimum Age, voted on 28 November 2025, minors aged under 16 will no longer be able to access social networks in Australia from...

2 December 2025

Customs duties: Costco sues the Trump administration

On November 28, Costco (net sales of US$267 billion in the fiscal year ending August 31, 2025 , up by 8.1% after 6% in 2024) sued the Trump administration, judging the tariff surcharges imposed...

5 December 2025