France

French postal service company La Poste has launched a new investment fund for startups that have a positive impact. With La Poste Ventures, the French company wants to anticipate changes in important sectors for the Group and explore new business models.

French supermarket group Carrefour has partnered with Pickup, a subsidiary of La Poste, to launch a new service. Under the name Pickup Drive, customers of Carrefour can collect their online groceries and also pick up or drop off parcels.

The use of mobile payments has further increased in France. The share was 18 percent in 2018, but has now grown significantly to 38 percent. Currently, half of French consumers intend to use their smartphones for in-store payments in the future.

Cubyn, a logistics startup from France, has raised 35 million euros in funding. The Paris-based company wants to use this money to expand its fulfillment and delivery services across Europe.

Polish parcel locker company InPost has acquired Mondial Relay, a major logistics company from France. InPost will pay 565 million euros to buy Mondial Relay and thus expand its international presence.

Wildberries has launched dedicated ecommerce websites in France, Italy, and Spain. The entry into these markets follows after Wildberries' launch in Germany last month. The major Russian online retailer is now available in several countries across Europe.

Picnic has shown strong growth in 2020 and is busy with the expansion to France. Sources say that last year, the Dutch online supermarket had managed to double its revenue, which is now predicted to be worth almost half a billion euros.

Ecommerce automation platform Lengow has been acquired by Marlin Equity Partners. The global investment fund says it has big plans with Lengow. It wants to make the French company the leading ecommerce platform on the market.

Cajoo, a new startup from France, promises to deliver groceries in 15 minutes. The ecommerce logistics company had just raised 6 million euros to make this possible.

French DIY-marketplace ManoMano has plans to double down on Northern Europe in 2021. The ecommerce platform wants to increase its focus on Germany and the United Kingdom. It also wants to improve the website's experience for both merchants and customers.

Cdiscount has announced it will launch an online marketplace solution that can be used by other retailers. The complete solution, which takes care of technology, offer, and logistics, enables physical and online retailers to develop their own marketplace operations.

The Platform Group, which has been selling fashion and shoes online in Germany for years through its brands Schuhe24 and Outfits24, is expanding to France. It launched shopping portal EnVogue, which is aimed at online fashion shoppers from France.

Cdiscount has launched Cdiscount Occasion, a platform full of second-hand products. Cdiscount Occasion features items from all product categories: from high-tech and DIY to books and toys.

Bigblue, a logistics provider from France, has raised 3.6 million dollars (3 million euros) in a seed round. The startup wants to build an end-to-end fulfilment solution in Europe. Bigblue isn't a fulfilment company itself, but it works with several ones to handle post-order processes for online stores.

Carrefour has launched a new initiative in France that is aimed at supporting small and local producers. At the same time, it's answering to a growing demand among shoppers for goods produced nearby.