Carrefour, Millet… The 4 corporate news to remember this week

Carrefour launches into the metaverse with the support of Coinhouse

Carrefour is stepping into the metaverse. The retail brand has decided to focus its digital development strategy on this virtual and collaborative environment, relying on the expertise of Coinhouse. The Parisian startup accompanied the purchase by the large group of a plot on The Sandbox platform, created by the French studio Pixowl. Virtual concerts, mini-games or meetings with consumers: this video game, based on the blockchain, allows individuals and companies to buy land and exploit it as they wish. According to data from OpenSea, Carrefour would have invested 120 Ethereum – around 300,000 euros – to acquire 36 hectares. As a reminder, Coinhouse coordinates actions with the various players in the ecosystem and manages foreign exchange transactions, such as the operational implementation of projects. Regulated, the startup also guarantees secure storage of crypto-assets.

First steps for @GroupeCarrefour in the #metaverse ! Innovation is at the heart of our model. See you soon for more ! https://t.co/mFW6obvM91

— Alexandre Bompard (@bompard) January 31, 2022

Millet partners with Barooders to give clothes a second life

Millet wants to give new life to the clothes it designs. The textile brand, specializing in outdoor activities, is partnering with Barooders. This young shoot, which announced a fundraising of 1.3 million euros this week, publishes a market place dedicated to second-hand equipment. Millet will thus offer, within the framework of this partnership, a 20 euro voucher to be used in its stores – physical and online – to individuals selling an item of its brand on the Barooders platform. “This is an important step in our commitment to the fight against end-of-life clothing waste. It is in line with our sustainability commitments that we began in 2005 with the establishment of a dedicated repair workshop, based in Annecy-le-vieux” thus assures by means of a press release Frédéric Moreau, in charge of the development of Millet, saying “convinced that this operation will encourage outdoor sports enthusiasts to do a good thing for the planet”.

Bouygues Telecom offers Majelan offers at preferential rates

Bouygues Telecom customers have a new entertainment service. The company has entered into a partnership with Majelan in order to offer them narrative audio content and claims to become “the first operator to be able to introduce this innovative service” . A preferential rate has been introduced, making it possible to subscribe to the offer at 3.99 euros per month instead of the usual price of 6.99 euros. Since the beginning of February, the entire catalog of the start-up has been accessible in this way. Biographies, fiction, documentaries… Majelan posts 1,500 audio books and podcasts on its platform, co-founded in 2018 by the founder and former CEO of Wynd, Arthur Perticoz, and the former chairman and CEO of Radio France and the ‘INA, Mathieu Gallet. The latter judged, in a press release, that “this agreement with one of the largest French operators will position the service [de Majelan] at the forefront of Europe” in narrative audio. As a reminder, the startup entered into a similar agreement with the supermarket chain Franprix at the beginning of January.

Kayak launches digital travel protection service with Koala

Kayak, a subsidiary of the Dutch Booking group, is launching a digital travel protection service. The online travel search platform joins forces with Koala to address two of the priority areas for consumers, according to a YouGov Plc study: avoid having too long reimbursement request forms and benefit from a service customers available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. By partnering with the French InsurTech, Kayak can offer two new offers. The first, Kayak Flex, is pre-departure cancellation protection to allow customers to receive an instant refund if they ultimately don’t want to or can’t travel. Kayak Multirisque aims to provide peace of mind by protecting people during their trip with coverage for medical and repatriation expenses. John-Lee Saez, director of Kayak Europe, justified this strategy in a statement by the fact that “most travel insurance providers offer outdated products, not suited to a new, more unpredictable world of travel” since the health crisis.