Kaufland vs Mirakl

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.

Mirakl supports Orange France in the launch of its new marketplace

Mirakl announces its support for Orange France in launching a new marketplace, as detailed in a press release dated October 5, 2026.

Siia Cosmetics Expands Across Four Retail Marketplaces With Mirakl Connect

Siia Cosmetics expands across four retail marketplaces with Mirakl Connect, as reported by RetailBoss.

Payback Launches 'Payback Produkte' Marketplace, Expanding Platform Strategy

Payback, the German loyalty program, has launched 'Payback Produkte', a new marketplace within its app, currently in beta. It allows users to search, buy, and pay for products directly in the app while earning points. The marketplace offers several thousand articles across electronics, home, fashion, and sports. It operates on a model where selected partners and other merchants sell their goods, avoiding Payback holding inventory, with technology from Mirakl. This move strengthens the app as a central platform for shopping, saving, and loyalty. Payback has over 35 million active customers and 18 million active app users, with partner revenue exceeding 46 billion euros last year. The company plans to onboard more merchants and promote the service through its own channels, building on its existing 700+ partners.

• Payback launched 'Payback Produkte' marketplace in beta within its app.
• The marketplace offers thousands of products in electronics, home, fashion, and sports.
• Payback partners with Mirakl for marketplace technology; merchants sell without Payback holding inventory.