News brief

China. Muji loses Chinese trademark dispute
The Japanese home equipment retailer Muji (revenue of US$3.81 billion in the year to February 2019) has lost a Chinese trademark infringement case. It operates with an ‘anti-brand’...
14 January 2020
Walmart announces joint strategic investment in India
Walmart (sales of US$514.4 billion in the year to January 2019) announced in December a joint strategic investment in Ninjacart, a B2B fresh produce supply chain company, along with its Indian...
14 January 2020
Like Sephora, Kiko Milano bets on India’s beauty
Already running 11 Indian units, the Italian beauty retailer Kiko Milano (900 stores in 18 countries, part of Percassi Group) confirmed an Indian expansion in 2020. It plans to open 6 standalone...
14 January 2020
The rise of discount in Asia
In November 2019, the South Korean discount retailer No Brand (a subsidiary of the retail conglomerate E-Mart) opened a first international store outside its home market. Already operating 200...
14 January 2020
Beauty. Antipodes to conquer Asia
Antipodes, the organic skincare brand using ingredients from New Zealand’s nature and raw super-fruit extracts, revealed that the November 11th 2019, i.e. China’s Singles Day, earned...
14 January 2020
Abu Dhabi leads a funding round in Spain’s delivery app Glovo
Venture capitalist’s appetite for fast-growing but lossmaking tech companies has not diminished. Headed by Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund Mubadala, Spain’s biggest delivery app Glovo...
14 January 2020
Will tech and Big Data be Saudi Arabia’s new oil replacement?
As part of the ‘Vision 2030’ strategy, the Kingdom is diversifying from a reliance on oil towards revenue from a technologically advanced economy. As a result, the Saudi telecoms...
14 January 2020
Ikea expands with a new Dubai flagship
In Dubai, a new Ikea store located near the Energy Metro Station over 35,000 sq.m G.L.A. opened in late 2019, in partnership with Al Futtaim. This is in the Festival Plaza shopping centre (Jebel...
14 January 2020
Algeria. Cevital C.E.O. released from prison
Since the resignation in April 2019 of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika due to popular pressure, Algeria’s justice system opened investigations against several businessmen who are linked to...
14 January 2020
Alshaya enters the booming wellness industry
The U.S.A. high-end gym concept Equinox Group is due to open in Dubai in 2020. With premium subscriptions ranging from US$150 to US$500 per month, Equinox is known for unlimited workout classes...
14 January 2020
Carrefour opens in Uganda
Majid Al Futtaim, owner of exclusive franchise rights to manage Carrefour in the Middle East and Africa, is pushing aggressive expansion. After announcing a future move into Uzbekistan in December...
14 January 2020
How URW brings news brands in its malls
Offering a DNVB (Digital Native Vertical Brand) store within a shopping mall is considered a must both for landlords and the new brand. Indeed, an offline presence may often mean offering lower...
14 January 2020
Brazil. H&M and VF Corp change suppliers to combat shrinking rainforest
The rate of deforestation in Brazil is at the highest level since 2008. As a result, retailers are exerting pressure on manufacturers to reduce land-clearing and provide transparent and...
14 January 2020
Cash & Carry. Assai expands outside Brazil in Colombia
Assai, the wholesale operation of G.P.A. (itself a subsidiary of the Casino Group), has published its latest revenue targets. C.E.O. Peter Estermann plans sales of US$7.5 billion for 2020 and...
14 January 2020
Brazil & U.S. Retailers use ‘dark stores’ for online orders
Brazil’s biggest grocery retailer Grupo Pao de Açucar (G.P.A) reported sales of €3.2 billion in the third quarter 2019, a rise of 9.5% year-on-year. The firm continues store...
14 January 2020
MUD JEANS, THE CONCEPT OF THE MONTH
Netherlands. Mud Jeans is a brand of “ethical” jeans created in 2012 with operations in 29 countries. It is sold in 300 multi-brand stores (concept stores, sustainable stores, etc.)...
14 January 2020
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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
Electronic labels: Hanshow accelerates breakthrough and signs with a leading British retailer
While the leader in electronic labels, Vusion exceeded €1.47 billion in revenue in 2025, rival Hanshow is stepping up a global offensive, winning a strategic account in the U.K. and a new POC for...
27 February 2026
2
Conflicts in the Middle East: what impact on the supply chain and European retail?
With US and Israeli strikes on Iran triggering a major crisis on February 28, 2026, retailers already have to face the closure of strategic trade routes, rising freight costs and import...
3
Regulatory: With 200,000 Digital Product Passports issued, Darty scales up
While the European Commission is set to vote on delegated acts to specify requirements for home appliances, Darty is accelerating a Digital Product Passport (DPP) push by integrating new products...
11 March 2026
4
Following a complaint from the FTC, Walmart agrees to pay US$100 million to Spark delivery drivers
On February 26, 2026, Walmart (2025 revenue: US$713.2 billion, up by 5.1% at constant rates) agreed to pay US$100 million in response to allegations of misleading compensation to delivery drivers...
5
Aroma-Zone and Najar reveal the behind-the-scenes of a strategic partnership
As the adoption of AI results in increasing cost volatility for companies, mind Retail spoke in Monaco with Christelle Glaszer, Manager of Indirect Purchases at Aroma-Zone natural beauty retailer...
13 March 2026
6
Agentic commerce : After Stripe, Mirakl partners with JPMorgan Payments
On March 10, 2026, Mirakl and JPMorgan Payments (JPMP) unveiled a partnership to deploy agentic commerce by combining the Mirakl Nexus agentic orchestration platform with the U.S. bank’s...
16 March 2026