franchise

In China, on June 20, 2025, Yum China (2024 revenue: US$10.65 billion, 2.5% after a rise of 14.1% in 2023) announced the launch of an AI-integrated voice assistant in several KFC restaurants. As a...

24 June 2025

Unibail launches franchise in Saudi Arabia with Cenomi Centers

On May 5, Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) announced a launch in Saudi Arabia through a franchise partnership with operator Cenomi Centers. The 10-year exclusive partnership, with an option to...

6 May 2025

Carrefour re-signs with Majid Al Futtaim until 2031

On April 3, Carrefour renewed an exclusive franchise agreement until 2031 with the Emirati group Majid Al Futtaim (turnover 2024: €8.53 billion, up by 1% in a year, after a rise of 1.1% in...

9 April 2025

For the first time since 2020, the number of French franchised stores fell in 2024

Closures in the fashion sector, lower performance for supermarkets and household equipment farnchised stores, which underperformed the market... In France, the number of franchises fell by 1.4% in...

4 March 2025

Franchise : Ulta Beauty enters the Middle East with Alshaya

After announcing a first international expansion into Mexico in March 2024, the U.S. retailer Ulta Beauty (2023 turnover of US$11.2 billion, up 5.7%, after 15.6% in 2022 and 37.9% in 2021)...

11 February 2025

Maisons du Monde sales plummet for 3rd year running

In a French furniture market down by 5.1% to €13.8 billion in 2024 (IPEA), Maisons du Monde (338 stores at the end of 2024) reported annual sales of €1.002 billion on February 4, down...

6 February 2025

La Foir’fouille chooses Duval for franchise African expansion

On January 31, discount chain La Foir’fouille (steady 2023 sales at €815 million, target of €830 million for 2024) announced an African expansion via a master franchise agreement...

5 February 2025

Auchan Russia is counting on sanctions being lifted to continue trading

Auchan Retail (2023 sales €32.26 billion, down 2% in a year, via 2,354 stores in 12 countries) has ended discussions with Gazprombank concerning the sale of 232 Russian stores, according to...

30 January 2025

Majid Al Futtaim launches retail media solution in the Middle East

The Majid Al Futtaim conglomerate (sales 2023 of US$9.4 billion up by 1.1%, after + 12% in 2022) launches Precision Media, a new media business. This offers a suite of in-store, onsite and offsite...

18 November 2024

Auchan Retail to sell Russian stores to Gazprombank

Auchan Retail is in the process of withdrawing from Russia, with the sale of all 232 stores, according to La Lettre. While the company announced that it will remain in Ukraine, it is considering...

30 October 2024

South Asia: Mothercare and Reliance Brands create a joint venture

On October 17, the struggling British retailer Mothercare (sales of US$355 million in the fiscal year to March 2024, down by 9% at constant exchange rates after a fall of 13% in 2022) and the...

25 October 2024

Saudi Arabia: Carrefour and Majid Al Futtaim criticised for human rights violations

On October 21, Amnesty denounced Carrefour‘s practices in a Saudi franchise managed by Majid Al Futtaim (2023 sales €8.6 billion, up 1%). Migrants are employed, underpaid and working 60...

23 October 2024

10 years after leaving India, Carrefour returns via a franchising agreement

While Carrefour is gradually withdrawing from Africa, the group (2023 sales of €92 billion, up 10.4% on a like-for-like basis via 14,000 stores in 40 countries) announced on September 9 a...

11 September 2024

China: After an upbeat Q2, Walmart sells JD.com

On August 21, Walmart confirmed the sale of their stake in JD.com (2023 sales:US$153 billion, up 3.7% in a year). In China, faced with competitors Pinduoduo, Xiaohongshu and Alibaba, the...

23 August 2024

Dubai: Spinneys targets an I.P.O. valuation of US$1.5 billion

On April 23, 2024, supermarket group Spinneys 1961 Holding (70 stores in the U.A.E. and Oman, a subsidiary of Al Seer) opened subscription of 9,000 shares in preparation for an I.P.O. on the Dubai...

25 April 2024

Retail crisis in Morocco: international franchises in jeopardy

In 2024, the Moroccan retail sector is going through a tumultuous period, marked by the successive closures of international franchises. An example is the departure of two H&M stores belonging...

19 April 2024

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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

E‑commerce: How Hive customises free‑delivery thresholds using customer data

With 500 e‑merchant clients, including Embryolisse, Hindbag, Airup, Hygée or Jacks Beauty Line, German logistics provider Hive is capitalising on data to raise e‑commerce conversion via a finely...

2 December 2025

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Small parcels tax: France, Italy, Romania and Benelux respond to low-cost marketplaces

Shein, Temu, AliExpress… Facing marketplaces flooding Europe with non-compliant goods, the French National Assembly voted for a €2 tax on parcels under €150 from January 2026. This level is half...

21 November 2025

Payments: Wallets accelerate in a fragmented market

As retailers seek to streamline shopping journeys, payment fluidity is becoming a key conversion driver. Apple Pay, Google Pay, Samsung Pay, PayPal: wallets enable retailers to reduce delays and...

18 November 2025

The price of imported food soars in the U.S.A.

According to the latest statistics, food prices have risen sharply by the end of September 2025 due to tariffs and climate change. Coffee, bananas, as well as meat, fish and eggs are particularly...

18 November 2025

Digital Inclusion: Auchan, Carrefour, E.Leclerc and Picard taken to court

In a market where 77% of Europeans shop online (Eurostat), Contentsquare highlights issues of digital accessibility in a study published on November 19, 2025. According to the e-commerce analytics...

20 November 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

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