{"id":14106,"date":"2026-04-13T13:31:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T11:31:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.optimalways.com\/2026\/04\/ai-hyperpersonalization-what-you-need-to-know-from-the-retail-tech-thursdays-february-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T13:31:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T11:31:09","slug":"ai-hyperpersonalization-what-you-need-to-know-from-the-retail-tech-thursdays-february-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.optimalways.com\/en\/2026\/04\/ai-hyperpersonalization-what-you-need-to-know-from-the-retail-tech-thursdays-february-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"AI & hyperpersonalization: what you need to know from the Retail Tech Thursdays (February 2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"

For the 33\u1d49 edition of Retail Tech Thursdays, Barbara SARRE-DEROUBAIX<\/a> <\/strong>and <\/strong>Mike Hadjadj \ud83d\udecd\ufe0f<\/a> had imagined a special program around AI and hyperpersonalization<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Even if a similar theme had already been addressed last November<\/strong>, notably around agentic commerce<\/a>, it’s clear just how much the market has changed in just a few months<\/strong>: technologies are maturing fast<\/strong> and, above all, use cases are becoming much more concrete and deployable<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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\ud83c\udf99\ufe0f CEO’s Vision: J\u00e9r\u00f4me Tacquard, Chairman of Fauchon, tells his story.<\/h3>\n

In CEO’s Vision<\/strong>, J\u00e9rome TACQUARD<\/a>, President of Fauchon<\/strong>, looks back on a brand that everyone knows – without always knowing its history – and on the transformation undertaken as the house celebrates its 140th anniversary<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd70\ufe0f 140 years of history: the birth of Place de la Madeleine, at the heart of a Paris under construction<\/h3>\n

It all began in 1886<\/strong>, when Auguste Fauchon<\/strong>, a young man from Normandy, set up shop on Place de la Madeleine<\/strong>. Paris was changing, the city was on the move, landmarks were evolving. His ambition was both simple and ambitious: to bring the best products to Parisians<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

Early on, the company built a DNA of exceptional products<\/strong> and vision<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf70\u2615 Early markers: patisserie, tea room and pioneering spirit<\/h3>\n

Auguste Fauchon quickly developed his pastry<\/strong> business and expanded his offer beyond delicatessen.<\/p>\n

In 1900<\/strong>, the company opened an English-inspired Five O’Clock Tea<\/strong>, designed as a place where women<\/strong> could meet, at a time when such spaces were rare.<\/p>\n

In 1906<\/strong>, another symbol: a major Parisian cellar, presented as the second largest in Paris<\/strong> behind the Tour d’Argent, with nearly 800,000 bottles<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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\ud83e\udded An observation at the time of the takeover: a brand that had become distant from the product and the customer<\/h3>\n

Over time, the brand developed and declined, but a distance was established. J\u00e9r\u00f4me Tacquard describes a period when Fauchon sometimes functioned as a “support” brand, with<\/strong> licensed products far removed from its gastronomic DNA. <\/p>\n

One point comes back like a trigger: starting in 2012<\/strong>, the company decided to outsource<\/strong> its flagship products (notably macaroons). He recalls exchanges with former employees of the brand, and the testimony of a pastry chef at the time, who explained that he had been asked to outsource products that had made Fauchon a success. <\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfe2 May 2024: takeover by Galapagos, a logic of brands and territorial roots<\/h3>\n

In May 2024<\/strong>, Fauchon was taken over by the family-owned Galapagos<\/strong> Group, based in Brittany. The group includes cookie brands such as Gavottes<\/strong> and Traou Mad<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

The common thread presented: stories<\/strong>, brands<\/strong> and territorial roots<\/strong>, with an attachment to recipes and strong identities. Fauchon becomes a relaunch project: an iconic brand, known beyond Paris, but in need of realignment. <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd01 Get back to basics: put the product back at the center, reinternalize<\/h3>\n

The priority is to put the product back in the range<\/strong>, to restore the place of know-how and consistency.<\/p>\n

A specific project is mentioned: the reinternalization of macaroons<\/strong>, with a view to verticalization<\/strong> and synergies within the group. The brand also assumes its identity as a generalist gastronomy house<\/strong>, with universes that coexist (patisserie, tea, wine, exceptional products), rather than seeking to become too specialized. <\/p>\n

\ud83d\uddfc Paris: preserve the Madeleine anchoring point, without seeking to mesh at all costs<\/h3>\n

The Paris of today is not the same as it was yesterday: rents, changing neighborhoods, consumer habits. J\u00e9r\u00f4me Tacquard describes an intensely competitive environment, with historic houses and entrants already well established. <\/p>\n

The logic became pragmatic: consolidate the Parisian anchorage<\/strong> around the Madeleine and work on a more demonstrative location, capable of carrying the brand universe.<\/p>\n

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\ud83e\uddc1\u2615 The flagship as experience: coffee shop, sit-down, open kitchen, modularity<\/h3>\n

The concept is built around current uses:<\/p>\n