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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Marketplaces: Stockly enters Switzerland with MediaMarkt, Decathlon, Galaxus and Manor

After a loss-making but high-growth year in 2025, the stock-pooling start-up for marketplaces signed agreements with 4 Swiss players, mind Retail learned. By taking on one of Europe’s most...

30 January 2026

Save launches an e-commerce site to support a shift towards sales

Having just reached break-even, the French subsidiary of refurbished specialist Save intends to go beyond an historical model of repair to develop sales of accessories and refurbished products...

23 January 2026

Shoptimus AI scales up in grocery smart shopping lists and prepares for a new funding round

After securing a strategic partnership with Spanish grocer Bon Preu, retail tech firm Shoptimus AI—first spotted by Carrefour—is accelerating a rollout. By leveraging AI agents to automate grocery...

11 January 2026

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

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Circana: French e-commerce ended 2025 with strong growth, hypermarkets continue to decline

After four years of decline, volumes of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) rose again in 2025 in France and Europe, although they did not compensate for four years of losses. The rebound was...

15 January 2026

Black Friday: Amazon’s AI assistant Rufus featured in 38% of sessions in the US

While peak season sales, revealed at the NRF Big Show, rose by 4.1% in the US from November 1 to December 31, 2025, Rufus, Amazon’s conversational chatbot, confirmed its traction. During the...

15 January 2026

2026 Trends – BNPL, mobile checkout, wallets: new challenges for payments

(Trends 3/6) Faced with soaring Visa and Mastercard fees, European retailers are looking for alternative payment methods that protect margins while boosting conversion. From wallets and...

16 January 2026

2026 Trends – Retail organises itself in the face of the Trump trade war

(Trend 4/6) Invested as President for a second term in 2025, Donald Trump has shaken global trade. Between higher customs duties, a tax on small parcels, attacks on diversity and inclusion...

23 January 2026

Retail tech: major trends for 2026

In 2026, retail can no longer afford to promise. It must deliver. Retail tech has entered the execution stage. The race for showcase innovation is over, giving way to clear priorities: operational...

30 January 2026

China bans JD.com, Alibaba and Meituan from forcing promotions

On January 7 2026, China published new regulations banning the country’s major e-commerce platforms such as Alibaba from forcing merchants to apply promotions. These measures, which will...

8 January 2026