Carrefour vs Kaufland

Actionable Raises $10M to Build Causal AI for Customer Service

Actionable, a Paris-based AI-driven customer intelligence startup, has raised €8.5 million (approximately $10 million) in a funding round led by Hi inov, with participation from existing investor Axeleo Capital. Founded in 2024 by co-CEOs Nans Thomas and Nicolas Rieul, Actionable integrates data from CRMs, CDPs, transaction systems, and web analytics into a unified customer data model. The platform automatically reconstructs customer journeys to score entire customer bases daily on churn, satisfaction, complaint risk, and repeat purchase likelihood, providing causal insights for sectors like retail, financial services, insurance, transport, energy, telecoms, and automotive. Notable clients include Carrefour, SNCF, Engie, and Edenred. The funding will support US market entry via reseller partners, scaling the platform, hiring in product, engineering, and sales, and R&D in causal AI and deterministic modeling.

• Actionable raised €8.5 million ($10 million) in a funding round led by Hi inov, with participation from Axeleo Capital.
• Founded in 2024 by Nicolas Rieul and Nans Thomas, the platform predicts churn, satisfaction, complaint risk, and repeat purchases.
• The funding will support US expansion via reseller partners, sales hiring, and development of causal AI features.

Investor Presentation Released: Carrefour

AI parsed presentation narrative: Carrefour is demonstrating robust execution of its 2030 strategic plan, achieving a 4.0% increase in recurring operating income despite a mixed global macro environment. Management's thesis centers on leveraging AI-driven efficiency, expanding high-growth formats like convenience and Atacadão, and maintaining price competitiveness to drive market share and profitability. Key tailwinds mentioned: Integration of Cora & Match, Omni-channel Momentum.

Cohere and Aleph Alpha Sign Merger Deal, New Leadership

Cohere and Aleph Alpha have signed a binding merger agreement on September 16, 2026, creating a combined entity valued at approximately $20 billion, subject to regulatory approval and expected to close later this year. The combined company will operate under the Cohere name, with dual headquarters in Toronto and Berlin, while Heidelberg remains a research hub. Upon completion, the team will exceed 1,000 employees. Schwarz Group, parent of Lidl and Kaufland, invests €500 million in structured financing and provides sovereign cloud infrastructure via STACKIT, deepening the partnership with Schwarz Digits. Key executive appointments include Aleph Alpha's Ilhan Scheer as COO and Samuel Weinbach as Chief Research Officer. The merger aims to position Cohere as a leading transatlantic provider of secure, controllable sovereign AI for governments and regulated industries. Cohere reported annual revenue of $240 million, while Aleph Alpha earned less than €1 million in 2023.

• Merger agreement signed on September 16, 2026, valued at approximately $20 billion, subject to regulatory approval and expected to close later that year.
• Combined company operates as Cohere with dual headquarters in Toronto and Berlin; Heidelberg remains a research hub; team to exceed 1,000 employees.
• Ilhan Scheer (formerly Co-CEO of Aleph Alpha) becomes COO, and Samuel Weinbach becomes Chief Research Officer of Cohere.

Kaufland Launches Online Marketplace in the Netherlands

Kaufland, a German hypermarket chain under the Schwarz Group, has expanded its online marketplace to the Netherlands. The company is known for its physical stores, but this move marks its virtual entry into the Dutch market. The international expansion continues, with another market expected to follow soon. The marketplace offers a range of products from various sellers, leveraging Kaufland's existing e-commerce infrastructure. This strategic move aims to increase its international footprint without the need for physical stores, aligning with its broader e-commerce growth strategy.

• Kaufland has launched its online marketplace in the Netherlands.
• The marketplace is now active as of September 8, 2026.
• Kaufland is a Schwarz Group company.

Brands Use Solar Eclipse for Humorous Social Posts

The Horizont article (published August 13, 2026) reports that multiple brands, including Deutsche Telekom, Ikea and Kaufland, used the recent solar eclipse as material for humorous marketing on social media. The piece provides an overview of brand social posts that referenced the rare natural event. It notes that a partial solar eclipse was visible in Germany, Austria and Switzerland on Wednesday evening, beginning shortly after 19:00 and lasting around one and a half hours.

• Article published on 2026-08-13 by Horizont (author: Helena Birkner).
• Deutsche Telekom, Ikea and Kaufland are cited as brands that used the solar eclipse for promotional or humorous social-media posts.
• The article provides an overview of multiple brand social-media posts referencing the solar eclipse.