EU: Member States adopt a watered-down due diligence directive at the last minute Europe Marie Ferry, who was Director of Retail and Out-of-Home Catering at Adot (a subsidiary of Veepee Ad,…
Ukraine: After Pandora, Yves Rocher and H&M, Zara resumes partial operations Europe Pandora and Yves Rocher re-opened in Ukraine after suspension at the start of the war,…
Troubled Maisons du Monde relies on Google’s AI to keep e-commerce afloat Europe Maisons du Monde is unveiling a recovery plan, that focused on a new franchising model. Meanwhile, it is taking stock of how to use AI to improve performance, including digital acquisition campaigns and product specification sheets. Constance Fouquet, Executive Director of Digital, IT & B2B, spoke to mind Retail ahead of the 1-to-1 show in Monaco.
[confidential] Skello relies on Open-Ai to speed up the creation of sales schedules Europe After a steady growth in 2023, Skello detailed an annual roadmap to mind Retail. In addition to the integration of Open-Ai, major investments are now being made in API connectivity and analytics, signalling a shift towards greater operational efficiency.
EU: sustainability due diligence directive blocked by France, Germany and Italy Europe The Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive has failed to win support from the qualified majority of member states needed to reach the final vote in the European Parliament. The possibility of this major text regulating corporate CSR practices being adopted before the European elections appears more limited than ever.
Carrefour ends 2023 on a high note and aims to lease-operate 30% of hypermarkets Europe Carrefour has published a positive balance sheet for 2023, boosted by external growth in Brazil and in Europe. In France, the strategy of switching to franchising and leasing contracts has improved margins. E-commerce, which generates 6.2% of sales, continues to grow, but remains far from the €10 billion target for 2026.
USA: Ikea wants to take advantage of falling valuations and acquire more malls Europe While e-commerce has plateaued at around 25% of sales for the past 2 years, Ingka Group (total sales €47.6 billion in 2023,…
In the U.K., The Body Shop is for sale Europe After a period of financial difficulties (EBITDA down 40% in the 9 months to end-November 2023), The Body Shop (900 directly-operated stores and 1,600 franchises worldwide,…
BNPL: Crédit Agricole Consumer Finance acquires Pledg Europe By acquiring Pledg, Crédit Agricole Consumer Finance aims to leverage the technology of a fractional payment specialist to strengthen online and in-store BNPL offerings The start-up, which raised €15 million in 2021, has not, however, enjoyed the same success as players such as Alma or Klarna.
The Digital Service Act extends authority to all marketplaces Europe From February 17, 2024, the DSA (Digital Service Act) extended authority to all e-commerce sites operating in the European Union,…